Problems with domestic ISP blocking publicly listed relays
Hi all Wondered if anybody could help out/advise as to what’s happened here… I’m based in UK and have domestic internet with Virgin Media. This service is fibre optic based - config: 30Mbps d/l & 2Mbps u/l [mine is the SLOWEST package!] Last year I finally configured a Dell server (running Debian 7.3 - wheezy) to run a Tor relay (0.2.3.25) Everything has been running fine except for the last few weeks I’ve noticed a few irregularities. The first one has been Tor itself where I have noticed (using Arm to monitor) that it has been downloading far more data than uploading. A ratio of say 5:1 — it hasn’t always been this way! The other is my general difficulty in accessing certain web sites online (that once worked) e.g. Access to lovefim.com this weekend has now resulted in no longer able to stream and watch films. I can log onto system but if I try and stream I get the error message “INVALID LOCATION. Sorry, but the requested content is not available in your current location.” Opened a service desk ticket but the response was “you are trying to stream from outside the UK” WTF????? My IP provided by my ISP has been the same all this time (82.42.215.16) I have spoken with them I would have to switch off for 48hrs and MAY NOT (in fact I was told “probably not”) be assigned a different one! SO… Can using a Tor relay result in your IP getting a “bad” flag? Is there anyway of running a relay where you “hide” your IP? Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Best wishes, Paul
Hi Paul
The first one has been Tor itself where I have noticed (using Arm to monitor) that it has been downloading far more data than uploading. A ratio of say 5:1 — it hasn’t always been this way! [..] Access to lovefim.com this weekend has now resulted in no longer able to stream and watch films. I can log onto system but if I try and stream I get the error message “INVALID LOCATION. Sorry, but the requested content is not available in your current location.” Opened a service desk ticket but the response was “you are trying to stream from outside the UK” WTF?????
Did you configure your browser to use your local Tor daemon as SOCKS proxy? Would explain both the upload/download ratio (normal web browsing is async) and a foreign (Tor exit) IP Renke
Renke It is a standalone server, therefore no browser runs on the machine. On 28 Jan 2014, at 19:22, renke brausse <renke@mobtm.com> wrote:
Hi Paul
The first one has been Tor itself where I have noticed (using Arm to monitor) that it has been downloading far more data than uploading. A ratio of say 5:1 — it hasn’t always been this way! [..] Access to lovefim.com this weekend has now resulted in no longer able to stream and watch films. I can log onto system but if I try and stream I get the error message “INVALID LOCATION. Sorry, but the requested content is not available in your current location.” Opened a service desk ticket but the response was “you are trying to stream from outside the UK” WTF?????
Did you configure your browser to use your local Tor daemon as SOCKS proxy? Would explain both the upload/download ratio (normal web browsing is async) and a foreign (Tor exit) IP
Renke
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It is a standalone server, therefore no browser runs on the machine.
Tor can be configured to act as proxy, not restricted to local connections. I'm not sure about the defaults but typically the SOCKS proxy is listening on [torserver]:9050. But as you're not aware of this option my idea in the previous mail was most likely incorrect :) Renke
If possible I'd suggest changing the MAC address of your router or swapping router entirely, unless you are using on of their 'super' hubs with a combined modem/router. This will force a new IP address on Virgin Media. On 28 Jan 2014 19:26, "renke brausse" <renke@mobtm.com> wrote:
Hi Paul
The first one has been Tor itself where I have noticed (using Arm to monitor) that it has been downloading far more data than uploading. A ratio of say 5:1 -- it hasn't always been this way! [..] Access to lovefim.com this weekend has now resulted in no longer able to stream and watch films. I can log onto system but if I try and stream I get the error message "INVALID LOCATION. Sorry, but the requested content is not available in your current location." Opened a service desk ticket but the response was "you are trying to stream from outside the UK" WTF?????
Did you configure your browser to use your local Tor daemon as SOCKS proxy? Would explain both the upload/download ratio (normal web browsing is async) and a foreign (Tor exit) IP
Renke
_______________________________________________ tor-relays mailing list tor-relays@lists.torproject.org https://lists.torproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tor-relays
On Tue, 28 Jan 2014 19:02:32 +0000 Paul Blakeman <blakeyman@mac.com> allegedly wrote:
SO… Can using a Tor relay result in your IP getting a “bad” flag?
Yes. Running a Tor node on an IP address you share with your domestic usage can result in you being unable to reach sites which blacklist Tor nodes. This sometimes only happens with exit nodes, but some site operators are even more draconian than others and just block all Tor IPs. This can be particularly unfortunate if the site in question is your bank.
Is there anyway of running a relay where you “hide” your IP?
No. Tor relay IP addresses have to be visible to be reachable. Mick --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mick Morgan gpg fingerprint: FC23 3338 F664 5E66 876B 72C0 0A1F E60B 5BAD D312 http://baldric.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------
mick:
On Tue, 28 Jan 2014 19:02:32 +0000 Paul Blakeman <blakeyman@mac.com> allegedly wrote:
SO… Can using a Tor relay result in your IP getting a “bad” flag?
Yes. Running a Tor node on an IP address you share with your domestic usage can result in you being unable to reach sites which blacklist Tor nodes. This sometimes only happens with exit nodes, but some site operators are even more draconian than others and just block all Tor IPs. This can be particularly unfortunate if the site in question is your bank.
This is correct, *if* you are running a Tor relay (even a non-exit). And unfortunate.
Is there anyway of running a relay where you “hide” your IP?
No. Tor relay IP addresses have to be visible to be reachable.
This is not fully correct. You can run your Tor relay as a Tor Bridge, in which case its IP is not visible in the public node directory. We only hand it out to people who solve a captcha on https://bridges.torproject.org/bridges We're also looking for people to run Obfsproxy bridges, which are also unlisted but additionally obscure their traffic so the traffic does not look like a Tor. As far as I know, we don't provide packages for this yet, but if you are technically inclined, you can set one up manually on Linux by following these instructions: https://www.torproject.org/projects/obfsproxy-instructions.html.en#instructi... -- Mike Perry
On Jan 28, 2014, at 20:02 , Paul Blakeman wrote:
The first one has been Tor itself where I have noticed (using Arm to monitor) that it has been downloading far more data than uploading. A ratio of say 5:1 — it hasn’t always been this way!
I see that too from time to time. At the times that download is much higher than upload, do you also see many more inbound connections, more handshakes (in the log) and high CPU usage? I do. Sometimes it goes on for up to 10 hours. (I run a low end box and it sometimes makes me lose Guard, HSDir or even Stable.) First I thought it was some kind of DoS, but I think it may be caused by people using bittorrent through Tor, and the excess download data is residue of abandoned connections.
My IP provided by my ISP has been the same all this time (82.42.215.16) I have spoken with them I would have to switch off for 48hrs and MAY NOT (in fact I was told “probably not”) be assigned a different one!
It may help to change the MAC address on the WAN port on your router.
participants (6)
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Jobiwan Kenobi -
Matthew Harrold -
mick -
Mike Perry -
Paul Blakeman -
renke brausse