Index/Topics/Traffic correlation attacks

Traffic correlation attacks

Methods used by powerful adversaries to correlate ingress and egress activity and potentially deanonymize Tor users.

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8 results
Jan 18, 2026
Most Viewed

Does my ISP basically sit there and watch my traffic to see if I’m using TOR and then log it?

An Internet service provider can see that a subscriber is making encrypted connections to Tor nodes, and many ISPs routinely log connection metadata for network management or legal compliance . What I...

Jan 15, 2026
Most Viewed

How do timing-correlation attacks on Tor circuits work in detail and what countermeasures exist?

Timing-correlation (a.k.a. traffic correlation or end-to-end confirmation) attacks match patterns of packet timing and volume observed at the client side with patterns observed at the destination side...

Jan 14, 2026
Most Viewed

How have intelligence agencies historically used traffic correlation or other methods to deanonymize Tor users?

Intelligence agencies have combined traffic-correlation (controlling or observing entry and exit points), active network manipulation (BGP hijacks/interception), targeted malware and “network investig...

Jan 17, 2026

What technical mistakes commonly unmask Tor onion services and how can operators avoid them?

Tor onion services can be unmasked not because the protocol is broken in principle but because of real-world mistakes at the service, client, relay and operational layers; common vectors include misco...

Jan 14, 2026

How does traffic correlation attack work against Tor and how feasible is it for state actors?

Traffic correlation (aka traffic confirmation) links a Tor user to their destination by matching timing and volume patterns observed at the network's entry and exit points, and remains one of the fund...

Jan 8, 2026

How does tor work?

Tor is a volunteer-run overlay network and browser that aims to obscure who is talking to whom on the Internet by routing traffic through multiple relays and encrypting it in layers — the technique kn...

Jan 6, 2026

Can IP logs or browser history from cloud services convict for CSAM?

IP logs and browser-history records held by cloud services are powerful investigative leads that frequently help build child sexual abuse material (CSAM) cases, but by themselves they rarely constitut...

Jan 6, 2026

How effective is Tor browser's anonymity against ISP tracking in 2025?

Tor in 2025 remains a powerful tool to conceal which websites a user visits from their ISP by relaying traffic through multiple encrypted nodes, but it is not a silver bullet: ISPs can detect Tor use,...