How to strictly exclude exit nodes?

[Anon Mus]

Scott Bennett wrote:
>      On Sat, 27 Sep 2008 17:13:02 -0600 "John Brooks" <aspecialj at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>   
>> 4 and 5 hop circuits can be created when contacting or publishing
>> hidden services and, I believe, sometimes when retrieving directory
>>     
>
>      A circuit to a hidden service may indeed have four or more hops.
> However, the client sees only the hops on the client's side of the
> rendezvous and the server sees only the hops on the server's side of
> the rendezvous.  Even the number of hops on the other party's side of
> the rendezvous is unknown to the party that is curious.
>
>   
>> information. Many nodes run directories on port 443, so that's not
>> particularly unusual.
>>     
>
>      I'm not sure why a non-hidden-service circuit would have more than
> the hard-coded default number of hops unless a controller has directed
> the client in building that circuit.
>   
>> For the thread as a whole, I still think the problem is that this exit
>> node is being *explicitly* requested (www.google.com.blabla.exit), and
>> that it would never be chosen automatically by tor itself, as I stated
>> in my first message. StrictExitNodes is an irrelevant setting.
>>     
>
>      I agree.  It's his own fault.
>
>
>                                   Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG
> **********************************************************************
> * Internet:       bennett at cs.niu.edu                              *
> *--------------------------------------------------------------------*
> * "A well regulated and disciplined militia, is at all times a good  *
> * objection to the introduction of that bane of all free governments *
> * -- a standing army."                                               *
> *    -- Gov. John Hancock, New York Journal, 28 January 1790         *
> **********************************************************************
>
>   
I can now confirm that dozens of 4 hop circuits can be seen in vidalia's 
"connections" list (no more 5 hops yet) and they are being used by the 
likes of vidalia and thunderbird just as the 3 hop circuits are.

I have also observed that large numbers of 4 hop circuits appear on 
startup of the tor client and pretty much disappear after a few minutes 
or so. This is probably why I only noticed the odd one before now.
 
Can anyone else see this?


-K-