From the course: Exploring Tor and the Dark Web
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Accessing hidden sites - Tor Browser Tutorial
From the course: Exploring Tor and the Dark Web
Accessing hidden sites
- [Instructor] Once a hidden site is up and running, it only becomes useful when users are able to access it. They do so through a fairly complex process that protects the anonymity of both the user and the server. First, the user must know the onion address of the hidden site that they wish to access. They might learn this address on the standard internet or through a directory of hidden sites. The user's browser looks up the onion address in the onion database and learns the introduction points for that hidden site. Next, the user's browser selects a Tor node to serve as the rendezvous point for the connection and builds a circuit to it. This node will not know the identity of the user or the hidden site, but it will serve as the relay for all communications between the two. The user's browser then creates an introductory message disclosing the location of the rendezvous point and a secret key. This message is encrypted using a public key belonging to the hidden site that is stored…