FBI Uses New Top-Secret Investigative Method to Remove Anonymity for Tor User
What is the best way to remove anonymity for a Tor user? According to news reports, somebody over at the FBI definitely has a method, but they “clearly aren’t planning on telling anybody anytime soon.”
Motherboard originally reported that the bureau has somehow managed to nab the IP address of an alleged criminal using Tor, short for “The Onion Router,” as part of an ongoing anti-terrorism case.
The guy in question, Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, of Tampa, Florida, was charged in 2020 with attempting to provide material support to ISIS. According to the government, Al-Azhari is “An ISIS supporter who planned and attempted to carry out an attack on behalf of that terrorist organization.” Part of the government’s case against Al-Azhari revolves around his use of Tor to make multiple visits to an ISIS-related website prior to the planned attack.
The Internet’s well-known portal to the dark web, Tor, is supposed to protect your IP address and keep you anonymous as you surf. Still, Tor has been known to have vulnerabilities that can lead to de-anonymization. The government ascertained Al-Azhari’s real IP address-which actually turned out to be his grandma’s IP address because he was staying with her in Riverside, California at the time of his arrest, court documents state.
Since Tor should have protected Azhari’s real location and IP address, the question remains: how did the feds get this information? Motherboard reports that Al-Azhari’s defense has asked the feds to reveal more details about their digital probing methods, technically known as network investigative techniques, or NITs, but that the FBI’s lawyers are being “pretty cagey.”
Government attorneys seem to be doing everything in their power to make sure that the details of the NIT don’t enter the public docket. In many ways, this isn’t all that surprising, since federal cops tend to spend a lot of time trying to make sure that their methods and procedures remain secret and effective against criminals.
So we see that there is no such thing as being “anonymous” on the web with the right investigator on the case. And as we know, success or failure in the courtroom or during the settlement process depends on having the very best, most detailed information about a case. That’s why great attorneys and law firms across the country work with the worldwide team of Santoni Investigations who will ensure you know everything to make the right decisions and maximize the settlement process or win your case in court!