[tor-bugs] #32091 [Core Tor/Tor]: optional TUN interface to tor for mobile

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#32091: optional TUN interface to tor for mobile
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 Reporter:  eighthave                             |          Owner:  (none)
     Type:  enhancement                           |         Status:  new
 Priority:  Medium                                |      Milestone:
Component:  Core Tor/Tor                          |        Version:
 Severity:  Normal                                |     Resolution:
 Keywords:  Android, iOS, tbb-mobile, orbot, vpn  |  Actual Points:
Parent ID:                                        |         Points:
 Reviewer:                                        |        Sponsor:
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Comment (by tla):

 +1 from me.

 tun2tor is needed in "Network Extensions", which  are running in the
 background and provide so-called "VPN" functionality.

 From the iOS side, we have a lot of trouble making it work. tun2tor is not
 stable and would need a lot of work to become so. If we could just ditch
 that, that would be wonderful.

 Since we have the issue of iOS failing open on crashed network extensions
 (i.e. it immediately repeats requests over the normal network interface,
 when network extensions crash): With one piece of software needed less,
 the chances of crashing reduce drastically, therefore protecting the user
 better.

 Also, there's the aspect of the 15 MByte RAM limit for Network Extensions:

 With Tor directly supporting a TUN interface, we could massively reduce
 memory consumption for any intermediary piece of software which would keep
 a good distance from the limit, which would, again, reduce the possibility
 of crashes.

 Please note: Onion Browser *doesn't* use tun2tor. We can hook a SOCKS
 proxy directly into UIWebView. Unfortunately, Apple deems UIWebView
 deprecated and they already announced, that they won't accept apps, and
 updates to apps, to the App Store containing it in the near (but still not
 exactly determined) future. So we *need* a Network Extension in the
 forseable future, since the successor of UIWebView, WKWebView doesn't
 provide any such functionality.

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/32091#comment:2>
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