Communicate securely on the Internet with an overlay network

Keeping Secrets

© Lead Image © kanokpol prasankhamphaibun, 123RF.com

© Lead Image © kanokpol prasankhamphaibun, 123RF.com

Article from Issue 266/2023
Author(s):

An overlay network will help you block unwanted eavesdroppers on the Internet. We show you some of the leading open source options.

Government surveillance, attacks by criminals, and tracking by the advertising industry are raising concerns about the security and anonymity of user data. These concerns are amplified in professions where the user is legally responsible for securing communication. Several free projects have addressed these concerns by offering innovative technical approaches to anonymizing data. We decided to take a look at a few of the leading solutions.

Anonymized networks establish tunneled and encrypted connections between individual nodes, ruling out typical attack vectors, such as man-in-the-middle attacks. In the process, these anonymization solutions build a two-way point-fixed overlay network through which the participants exchange data. These solutions support common transport protocols, such as UDP or TCP, as well as the Internet layer protocols IPv4 and IPv6. In some cases, BitTorrent and blockchain technologies are also used to enable distribution of data blocks.

All solutions for anonymized Internet are based on decentralized structures. Many of the solutions, with the exception of the Tor network and those based on VPNs, depend on peer-to-peer connections that do not require centralized servers, which makes it far more difficult for attackers and authorities to access user data.

[...]

Use Express-Checkout link below to read the full article (PDF).

Buy this article as PDF

Express-Checkout as PDF
Price $2.95
(incl. VAT)

Buy Linux Magazine

SINGLE ISSUES
 
SUBSCRIPTIONS
 
TABLET & SMARTPHONE APPS
Get it on Google Play

US / Canada

Get it on Google Play

UK / Australia

Related content

  • Retroshare

    Communication on the Internet is continuously subject to the risk of being intercepted. We show you how to eliminate curious eavesdroppers.

  • P2P Networks

    Many users associate the term P2P with BitTorrent and the (not always legal) exchange of files. But peer-to-peer networks offer an option for anonymously offering websites and other services. We examine five popular alternatives for P2P networking.

  • Mofo Linux

    Mofo Linux enables secure digital communications, even in places where it is politically or ideologically unwelcome.

  • FOSSPicks

    This month Graham looks at SonoBus, NewsFlash, Kinto.sh, RetroShare, Emilia Pinball, and much more!

  • Anonymity on the Tor Network

    The Tor project supports a formidable collection of tools for protecting your privacy on the Internet. We'll give you some background on Tor and help you get started with the Tor Browser.

comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News