The name of the dark web on the Internet has always been tied to criminal activities; But for some, like those who want to remain completely anonymous, or seek freedom of expression, or access information that is not normally available in their country, it is heaven.
Choosing the best browser is very important to enter the dark web and surf it safely and effectively. It is impossible for you to be a tech junkie and the question “How do I enter the dark web?” has not crossed your mind at least once. In this article, we are going to introduce the most important and essential tool to enter the dark web and the best dark web browser.
The introduction of the dark web entry tool is only for educational and familiarity purposes, and considering the often irreparable consequences of non-professionals using the dark web, we recommend that you do not go for it if you do not have enough knowledge and mastery.
Features of the best dark web browser
Given that the dark web is, in short, a part of the Internet that is not indexed by search engines and is not accessible to all users, you need a browser or a tool with special features to access it.
The first feature of the best dark web browser is to focus on user anonymity; As a result, it should also provide adequate performance in terms of privacy and preferably use multi-layer encryption. Anonymization of the dark web entry tool also resists surveillance to hide the activity and entry to the dark web from the internet provider or network administrator.
These features are all important in order to protect users from possible risks. Of course, the danger of the dark web is not only related to clicking on unsafe links, and you may be charged and prosecuted just for being in the forum and interacting with other users.
The best dark web login browser
The best conventional browsers that we use on a daily basis, despite all their efficient features, are not only useless for accessing a single example of a dark web website; But they are not recommended at all. In the following, we introduce some examples of the best dark web browsers.
The Tor browser, whose name stands for The Onion Router and refers to the layered path of its network, has been known for years for anonymous activity on the Internet and access to the dark web. Whenever you hear something about the dark web, it is impossible not to mention the Tor browser. In the 1990s, the US Navy developed the first browser based on the Firefox browser with secure communication.
Due to its high security and identity protection, Tor Browser is popular among users who prefer anonymity over practical features such as video streaming. Tor was released publicly as the first dark web browser of its kind.
Tor browser is free, open source and completely anonymous
The main features of Tor include the possibility of free installation and open source, and the existence of different versions for compatibility with any operating system. However, as mentioned, to maintain security and remain anonymous, you must disable some plugins and functional features.
Tor Browser is introduced as the best browser to access the dark web, the flagship of the Tor Project Foundation. This foundation is responsible for maintaining the tour network. The Tor network consists of active users all over the world, each of whom plays the role of a node in the network and guarantees the anonymity of users. Along with the Tor browser, the Tor Foundation has also introduced the Tails operating system.
Tor browser features for the dark web
- Enabling the NoScript plugin by default
- The ability to set the security level (if you choose the highest level, many features of the websites will be disturbed)
- Blocking trackers
- Resistance to web fingerprinting
- Privacy protection
- Multi-layer encryption
- Versions compatible with Windows, Linux, MacOS and Android
The I2P browser with the full name of the Invisible Internet Project was developed to access the I2P network. Like the Tor network, this network was launched with the goal of secure communication and anonymity based on the Garlic Protocol, and according to many experts, it is even more secure than Tor due to the way the network is implemented. However, on a large scale, it is not considered safer than Tor for new users.
I2P browser protects users with end-to-end encryption in 4 layers. The I2P communication network is also messaging-based and establishes peer-to-peer communication, and its architecture is implemented in a decentralized manner, and its network requires a part of each user’s resources.
Each client of the I2P network must participate in the transfer of data around the world. In fact, the I2P browser sends packets of user traffic from multiple decentralized computers; So that there are many ways to send data and thus the possibility of tracking the packages is zero. Furthermore, the data transmission path is one-way, making it almost impossible to trace.
The I2P network uses the DDoS attack to its advantage and becomes faster
One of the problems of the Tor network was that Internet providers could track user packets by time and volume to the end of the path by relying on the Timing Attack. However, such an attack cannot be implemented in the I2P network, and more interestingly, unlike the Tor network, which is paralyzed by a DDoS attack, this network takes advantage of such an attack and works more smoothly!
With the I2P program and through the Stream layer, you can access the surface of the public Internet (of course, it is not optimal for such an application like Tor) and the depths of the Internet. This layer also protects the identity of users by obfuscating their information. Another feature of this program is the implementation of Darknet technology and decentralized file storage system to keep users anonymous. A similar process can be seen in the performance of Bitcoin.
Setting up an I2P connection is more difficult than a Tor connection, and it’s no wonder that it has a smaller user community. This browser provides access to Eepsites dark web websites hosted anonymously on the I2P network. This category of websites can be classified under the category of onion websites in the tour network.
It is not possible to access the dark web website with the onion address in the I2P browser. Also, I2P links to Eepsites addresses cannot be opened on the Tor network.
I2P browser features For the dark web
- Designed and engineered for the Secret Service
- Fully distributed
- Very high security and resistant against hackers and monitoring
- Benefiting from Packet Switching, which in addition to increasing data security, optimizes network performance.
- BitTorrent support
Other safe browsers for the dark web
Other browsers that can be referred to as secure platforms or browsers for the dark web include various examples that are developed based on Tor and are considered Tor alternative browsers. For example, the Whonix browser or the Subgraph OS, which is completely based on the Tor browser, developed to resist some OS-centric attacks.
Firefox also connects to the Tor network with manual settings
The Brave browser, which is normally used for web browsing on the Internet, provides the ability to connect to the Tor network; But in terms of security, it is not recommended to use Brave to enter the dark web. By changing the settings of the Firefox browser manually, it can also be connected to the Tor network.
The best platforms to enter the dark web
Other dark web entry methods include platforms such as the Hyphanet platform, GNUnet, and ZeroNet, each of which, in their own way, smooths the way to access the dark web. For example, users on GNUnet set up a network by communicating P2P via TCP, UDP, HTTP, HTTPS, WLAN, and Bluetooth. The developers of this platform are trying to build a new kind of internet.
The ZeroNet communication tool is also activated in a decentralized manner and is on the way to launch a borrower of the Bitcoin encryption method and BitTorrent network functionality, and by relying on these two pillars, it makes it easy to enter the dark web. The activity in this network remains completely anonymous and its other advantage can be considered the possibility of connecting to the tour network. In the following, we will learn more about the Hyphanet platform.
The Hyphanet platform, previously known as Freenet, began as a student project and was papered by Ian Clarke in 2001. Unlike Tor and I2P, this platform is a platform for pure access to the dark web and does not provide a level of access to the regular web. The Hyphanet platform operates as a fully distributed platform, allowing data to be disseminated with P2P encryption between users to anonymize activities and provide secure storage.
When you join the Hyphanet project, you agree to allocate a portion of your system’s local storage space to the network. This space is called Datastore and is available in a safe and encrypted way for sharing and downloading different file fragments by other users of the Hyphanet network (like what we see in BitTorrent).
In the darknet mode of the Hyphanet platform, data shared between group members is only available among themselves
Volunteers can develop various applications on the simple Hyphanet framework. These applications include setting up dark web websites, messaging services, email, etc.
In the Hyphanet network, if the data does not circulate in the network for a while and no user calls, it disappears from the network. This process is almost similar to seeding in BitTorrent, which depends on sending them instead of calling them.
Users can use the Hyphanet platform in two ways. In Opennet mode, you connect to other users randomly, which is very similar to the Onion service in Tor. However, if you use the app in Darknet mode, you will create a separate network on the Internet where you only interact with your trusted users. To form such a network, public keys and node addresses must be exchanged between users.
Features of the Hyphanet Platform
- Data encryption
- Multi-layer encryption of the transmission path
- Ability to download and upload text, audio, image and video files
- Email and forum services
- Decentralized architecture
- Faster than I2P
To connect to the dark web with a browser, first of all, you should familiarize yourself with the security tips in using the dark web and do not jump into the water. After that, consider downloading the dark web browser according to your goals and capabilities. For example, if you have the possibility to install a separate operating system on a different device or even the opportunity to start a virtual machine, you can go for more professional examples.
Now it’s your turn, dear Zomit users. If you have any experience in entering the dark web, share it with us and other users.