Anonymous

Communication
On the Internet

Paperwork & Practical Presentation

03 July 2006
Ruben-Darius MOLDOVAN
Introduction
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

• Why do we talk about anonymity?

 Anonymity = Privacy on Internet

 Big Brothers on Internet
 (e.g. Echelon, gov/nongov ITA(s)- Information Total Awareness)
 Google?
 Privacy Organizations 
 (e.g.. EEF, EPIC, ACLU, GILC, other 14 important ones)
 Anonymous Services
 Over 23 known Commercial companies (e.g. Anonymizer)
 Over 17 popular anonymity projects (e.g. Tor, Remailers)
• One by American Association for the Advancement of Science
 Anonymity exits just in a certain degree
 Anonymity protects Freedom of Speech and other Human
Rights
Introduction
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

Anonymity Agenda To communicate anonymously

is a basic constitutional
I General Information right. An anonymous
telephone conversation or
II What does Anonymity participating anonymously
in a newsgroup or even
III Short History sending an anonymous
letter to the editor of a
IV Anonymity my Way newspaper is allowed in a
democratic society, even if
V Bibliography the points of view expressed
by someone are very
controversial.
General Information
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

Agenda

I General Information

II What does Anonymity

What is Anonymity
III Short History Anonymity terms
IV Anonymity my Way Anonymity gateways
V Bibliography
General Information – What is Anonymity
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

• Origin Greece: meaning “nameless” / “without a name”

• Often confused with: privacy and confidence

• Anonymity is most known as the propriety of a

certain person to have his credentials,
personal identifiable information hidden,
unknown.

• The most used term is “anonymous message”

 referring typically to a message that does not carry

any information about its sender and/or its
intended recipient.
General Information – Anonymity Terms
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

• Pseudonymous classified as anonymous

• Unlinkability vs.Traceabilty
• Unobservability or indistinguishable

• Sender anonymity
• Recipient Anonymity
• Relationship Anonymity
• Full Anonymities
• k-Anonymity
• Degree of Anonymity

• Eavesdropping, Wiretapping, Sniffing

General Information – Anonymity Gateways
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

• Web Proxy (Simple Anonymous, Distorting Proxies, Elite proxies)

• Remailers / Nym Servers (e.g. anon.penet.fi )
• Socks, BNC (for chat services and not only)
• Anonymous Dial-ups
• VPN (virtual private networks)
• Wireless Anonymity (high usage degree)
• GPRS, EDGE

• Mixnet(s) - Onion Routing, Crowds, Hordes, Tor etc.

• Anonymous Payments
 Anonymous credit cards
 E-gold sites
What does Anonymity
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

Agenda

I General Information

II What does Anonymity Anonymous Protection

III Short History Security Attribute

IV Anonymity my Way
Usage of Anonymity

V Bibliography
What does Anonymity - Anonymous Protection
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

• Who needs and why?

You :

• Where are you sending email (who is emailing

you)
• What web sites are you browsing
• Where do you work, where are you from
• What do you buy, what books do you read, …

• Who else needs anonymity? Criminals? Yes. But

they already have it, we need to protect
everyone else
What does Anonymity - Security Attribute
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

• Cryptography is not enough

 NSA – exits
 Code makers & Code breakers

• When you know the Sender and Recipient

 Speculate the content of information
 Try to break it
 Block or monitories the traffic (logging, sniffing)

• New ways to crypt the messages with

anonymity
 There are projects in development which work to
decrease cryptographic computations by increasing the
anonymity
Short History
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

Agenda

I General Information anonymity started with US Navy in

WWII… anonymity from internet
implementation concept
II What does Anonymity
1981 Mixnets proposed
III Short History 1988 posting/reply
services
IV Anonymity my Way 1993 anon.penet.fi
1998 Nymserver
V Bibliography 2000+ Freenet
2004 Tor
Anonymity my Way
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

Agenda

I General Information
Spoofing is dead
II What does Anonymity
Achieve From-
III Short History Anonymity
IV Anonymity my Way
Project SaMS
V Bibliography (Send Anonymous Message
Service)
Anonymity my Way - Spoofing is dead
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

• New ISOs on IPv4 and Traffic Security have

implemented policies to deny spoofing and
drop suspect packets (e.g.. Source-Address =
Recipient-Address)

• Reasons:
 Viruses, Trojan, Worms
 SYN Floods
 Packet Integrity
 Etc.

As many resources you will find, in the end you will be

redirected to a good read about network protocols.
Anonymity my Way - Achieve From-Anonymity
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

• MAC address tool

 Some scan your local area network in search for valid ones
(accepted by the DNS) providing real IP addresses – taking
another’s PC IP can be illegal.
• Wireless hotspots
• OS LiveCDs
 Anonym.OS
 This seems like a really important development: an anonymous
operating system[2]
• Anonymous VPNs
 Findnot.com, Megaproxy.com, metropipe.net

• Other Proxy Server and Mixed Networks

Anonymity my Way - SaMS
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

• Thought to provide:

 Recipient anonymity
 Unlinkability
 Unobservability (indistinguishable)
 Eavesdropping protection

 Future evolution implementation on:

 Anonymous local area
 Identification system
 Message Server or Action Server
 Anonymity my Way – SaMS – Broadcasting to Server
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

AC – Anonymous Client Sending Message to a Multicast

AS – Anonymous Server

one Station form

AS
the same network

AC

AC

AS

Our Station
 Anonymity my Way – SaMS – Broadcasting to Server
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

NS – Name Server Server Broadcasts the messages(s)

MS – Message Server

1. Verifies credentials NS

2. Replies the status

AS If status is true
AS
3. Sends the message
or command

MS
4. Replies with message(s)
AC

AC
Anonymity my Way – SaMS – Message Flux
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

NS

Green lines – send data

MS

Red lines – received data

LAN 1 LAN N

AS1 ASN

AC1 ACN
Anonymity my Way – SaMS – General Case
Anonymous Communication On the Internet
Anonymity my Way – SaMS – Send Sequence
Anonymous Communication On the Internet
Anonymity my Way – SaMS – Receive Sequence
Anonymous Communication On the Internet
Anonymity my Way – SaMS – Screenshots
Anonymous Communication On the Internet
Anonymity my Way – SaMS – Screenshots
Anonymous Communication On the Internet
Anonymity my Way – SaMS – Screenshots
Anonymous Communication On the Internet
Anonymity my Way – SaMS – Screenshots
Anonymous Communication On the Internet
Anonymity my Way – SaMS – Screenshots
Anonymous Communication On the Internet
Anonymity my Way – SaMS – Screenshots
Anonymous Communication On the Internet
Anonymity my Way – SaMS – Screenshots
Anonymous Communication On the Internet
Bibliography
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

Agenda

I General Information

II What does Anonymity Most of the information on this

presentation is taken from my
graduation thesis, but there are
III Short History
still other information which can
are reproduced from the
IV Anonymity my Way following bibliography:

V Bibliography
Bibliography
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

• Anonym.OS
 http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70017-0.html

• Big Brother versus anonymity on the internet, Jelke Nijboer

 Paper presented at the 12th BOBCATSSS symposium in Riga (Latvia), Jan. 26-28, 2004.
Accepted November 2003. Revised Febr.-March 2004.

• How To Make A Mint: The Cryptography of Anonymous Electronic

Cash, Laurie Law, Susan Sabett, Jerry Solinas - NSA, 1996

• Anonymity and Privacy on Intenet

 http://www.infosyssec.net/infosyssec/security/anon1.htm

• Security Focus
 http://www.securityfocus.com/
Paperwork & Practical Presentation
Anonymous Communication On the Internet

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Communicati
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Communicati
on
On the
Internet