French researchers claim to have compromised Tor network

The Onion Router (Tor), which has been providing online anonymity for almost a decade, may soon find its usefulness to be greatly diminished.

A French engineering school claims to have found a way to compromise a Tor network. The group claims that one-third of the Tor nodes are not properly secured, and hackers can "easily infect and obtain system privileges." From there, they use DOS attacks and packet spinning to ultimately decrypt each communication.

The claims can be viewed by clicking here (though the videos are in French). Tor plans to release a new version in late October, though it is uncertain if the updates will address these claims.

The Tor network has long been used to allow web surfers to hide their tracks while online. A user's online communications are sent through a multiple nodes, each carrying the data with multiple layers of encryption. The technique allows one to commit illegal activities while online without leaving a trail of evidence behind.

RELATED NEWS: In case you hadn't heard, Tor even has an app for Android phones called Orbot.