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Onion Routing uses a flexible communications infrastructure that prevents traffic from being analyzed and eavesdropping from occurring. The way it works is by separating routing from identification techniques. In other words, any identifying information is removed from the data stream (Syverson, 2005).
The structure is created by wrapping a plaintext message in layers of encryption. Just as an onion has layers that peel away, this wrapping is successively pealed away as the wrapped message is passed through from one router to the next. The message is viewable only by the sender and the recipient and perhaps even the last node, unless end-to-end encryption is used (Joshi, 2012).
For example, in a packet switched network, packets use a header for routing and the payload confers the data. The header is visible to the network and anyone watching the network; it tells where the packet originated and where it is going. Encryption and obscuration do not prevent identification.
Onion Routing allows for anonymity by using socket connections, which are placed below the application layer and depend upon the application. Proxies are use to make the data stream anonymous. For example, an application will establish a socket connection to an Onion Routing Proxy. The proxy then links anonymously to its destination via other Onion Routers.
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An Onion Routing network is resistant to both network eavesdropping and traffic analysis because it blocks the normal identifying characteristics of packet data within the public network using layers of protection. As the data...
References
Dingledine, R., Mathewson, N., & Syverson, P. (2004). Tor: The second-generation
onion router. Naval Research Lab Washington DC.
Joshi, P. (2012). Onion routing. Retrieved from
https://prateekvjoshi.com/2012/11/27/onion-routing/
Syverson, P. (2005). Onion routing. Retrieved from
https://www.onion-router.net/Summary.html
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