tor

New to the forum so I apologize if this isn't posted correctly.

I'm sure this has been asked before, but has anyone recently experienced a conflict while using AVG and tor? (For example, avg starts going crazy saying its scanning POP3 connections to some random IP?):confused

I've had AVG for a while. Recently downloaded tor to learn how to use it. Within about an hour, AVG pops up a window I've never seen, saying, "scanning POP3 connecting:random IP". Weird.

 

How familiar with Tor are you?

This doesn't sound like anything I wouldn't expect while running Tor. (Except that I didn't think it covered POP, but possible I'm mistaken, or that AVG is misreporting)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tor_(anonymity_network)

 

Well, besides the wiki definition, not at all. lol! I just heard it helps avoid annoying pop ups, helps with internet security and allows you to view streaming vid (e.g. CNN video) where you would otherwise not be allowed...

 

Tor ~could~ do all these things, but it's not really what it is designed for. It won't do any of them particularly well.

Tor is a web anonymizer, which means it makes it hard for the end server to trace where the request originated from. (ie, normally, you surf to majorgeeks.com, for example, and their webserver will have a log of your IP connecting to it... with Tor, another computer in their network does it for you, and sends the pages to your computer, so no record of you visiting Majorgeeks on the MG server)

That's it.

Blocking pop-ups - depends whether the pop-up tries to contact your computer, if not, no block.

Internet security - that's a very loose definition of the term. I wouldn't feel any more secure, really. Only the end server doesn't know who you are.

Regional Websites - this MAY work, if the end node (the last computer in the Tor network your request passes - the one making web requests on your behalf) is in the appropriate region. You don't have any control over this (AFAIK), and it would be VERY slow even if you got lucky.
You'd be much better googling for a proxy you KNOW is in the right region, and use that instead. Essentially the same technology, only with traffic passing through a single machine instead of the entire Tor network.

Personally, I would only use Tor if I were attempting something illegal, and even then, I would NOT feel secure.

 

Thanks, MM. Far from doing anything illegal. Quite the opposite. :cool

The TOR and AVG conflict has now stopped, so I can't say I found a fix to it. If it pops up again, I'll be sure to share.