Safe surfing: Tor Browser 14 fixes bugs and splits user base

The developers of the Tor Browser have released the fourteenth version of the software. It fixes dozens of bugs and updates the browser engine to Firefox ESR 128. To achieve this, the Tor developers had to complete an extensive audit. A lot has also been done on Android: the app has become slimmer and new identities can be requested with just a few taps.

The Tor Browser is probably the simplest way for users to use the anonymizing network and access so-called "hidden services" on the darknet via their onion address. At its core, the browser is based on Firefox ESR (Extended Support Release), which the Tor developers have further adapted to make it less chatty. For example, Tor Browser spoofs the telltale "User Agent" identifier, includes the "Noscript" extension by default to suppress nosy scripts and blocks unsafe or tracking functions in three security levels.

Two version strands in future

The most important new feature affects users of older Windows and macOS versions. Originally, the Tor team had planned to discontinue support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 as well as macOS 10.12, 10.13 and 10.14 with version 13.5, as the Mozilla project had announced that it would no longer support these operating systems. This decision has now been reversed, at least temporarily, so that Tor Browser will continue to receive security updates on the outdated operating systems until March 2025. However, not in version 14, but in version 13.5.

Tor Browser 14 is based on Firefox ESR 128, version 13.5 remains on Firefox ESR 115 for the time being. As with every version jump of the browser engine, the Tor team has now also scrutinized all potentially security and privacy-relevant changes in Firefox ESR as part of an audit.

As soon as Mozilla gets serious about discontinuing support, the Tor Browser will also be discontinued. So if you value secure surfing, you should plan an operating system update this winter, the Tor developers warn in the blog article on the new version. Anyone using the browser in Windows' own compatibility mode must also switch it off before updating to version 14, otherwise the browser will refuse to work.

Switch Tor connection more easily on Android

A practical new feature is available to Android users: they can request a new Tor connection for a browsing session more easily. While this was previously only possible via a cumbersome notification, the latest version has a separate option for this in the app's "Kebab menu". When the "Circuit" ("Channel" in the German language version) is changed, the entry, middle and exit nodes of the Tor connection are exchanged and the encrypted data traffic is routed via fresh nodes. Among other things, this can eliminate performance problems.

In addition to the engine updates, the Tor Project has also fixed dozens of bugs in its browser – some of which had the potential to monitor users. A quick update is therefore a good idea for privacy-conscious users. Tor Browser 14.0 is available for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android on the project's download page. Android users can also get the latest version via Google Play, but those using F-Droid should download the APK file directly from the Tor website for the time being.

(cku)