New Tor Browser 6.0 is Based on FireFox 45-ESR

The security based Tor Project has finally released a new version 6.0 based upon their famous Privacy-First Web Browser. This also happens to be based on FireFox 45-ESR. They claim that the new release will perform better HTML5 support, and even added updated security features in order to better safeguard your encrypted traffic, as well as updates to the mechanism.

There are thousands upon thousands of people who despise the recent Australis-Based FireFox versions. Among the new releases, 45-ESR happens to be one of these; mostly considered as non-FireFox and often claimed as too Chromy.

With Better HTML5 Support, We can see Less Flash!

Being that Tor is based on the new FireFox 45-ESR, the browser 6.0 can now automatically bring in the top-of-the-line HTML5 support. This in return provides easier to leave Flash Plugins turned off, for the vast majority of the sites that you typical visit.

Since Flash can give away your personal information — such as your IP Address — you should always avoid using Flash altogether. If you value Tor more for the privacy features, instead of just the ability to be able to throw a different IP Address each time, you are sure to enjoy the new Tor Browser.

Secondly, we have the FireFox 45-ESR that also provides the features for the support to Push API for ultimate dynamic notifications. However, this is also better for the support when it comes to the latest JavaScript standard, which includes the ES6 Classes.

For better support, the Tor Team has even brought up a very important fix for Max OS X users, which is where the popular Tor Browser, from this point forward, will also be utilizing the Code-Signing. This is set to aid avoiding from getting blocked by the Apple’s Operating System built-in GateKeeper Security Application.

The new Tor Browser 6.0 is also saying their fairwell to encryptions using SHA-1.

We can easily see that the biggest and better security measures, are the advanced modifications that are made into the browser’s new encryption layer protocol. Since the Tor Browser works on top of a special Encryption-First Protocol, the added support for more modern cryptography must also stay up to par and hold the Tor’s security reputation.

With that being said, Tor Browser 6.0 removed their support for the SHA-1 certificates. This happens to be something that had been in bigger brothers, including FireFox, Chrome, and new Edge, which was announced just this last winter. These top-of-the-line browsers are also just a tad bit tardy, mostly due to their large userbase. They will also be taking the leap into removing SHA-1 security protocols by the end of June 2016. They will then start stepping up their security measures at the early start 2017.

With that on the brink of exciting news, Tor’s latest Browser project version also happens to include better update mechanisms, allowing the checking of both the update packages signature, as well as the hash, before ever even running for the update file.

The security research team has also fixed a very simple, however, very serious DLL Hijacking issue. Some quick fixes has been spread out across the project, patching the more urgent bugs. However, the project still promises to deliver more complex fixes, in which we will see in later versions of the new browser. A partial fix for the default search engine provider, has also been started.

Lastly, we can detect that the Tor Project does clarify the troublesome issue of the default search engine, occasionally disconnecting from the server. Now we can see a display of the search results thanks to DuckDuckGo’s API, instead of utilizing Google.

The members of the Tor Team also explain that, until the disconnect that everyone faces is clarified, as well as the situation with Google, the Tor Project has specifically asked their disconnection team to supply users with the DuckDuckGo search results, instead of utilizing Bing Search, which, as they described, is basically an unacceptable quality for their users.

You can download your copy of Tor Browser 6.0 for the following:
Linux | Mac OS X | Windows

Each of the above links provides detailed information about how to install the new Tor Browser 6.0 on your respective operating system. If you already have Tor installed, you should be able to upgrade,via the built-in updater. You can read a full Tor-Browser 6.0 ChangeLog online.

Sources: SoftPedia, FireFox, Tor Project.

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