Tor Binary Too Outdated Again <-- NEEDS AUTHORS REVIEW

[doll1]

This affects Windoze users only!

The current tor binary refuses to connect to outdated tor binaries. This leads to Windoze users see their Linux buddies as blue marbles only, never coming on. And Linux users don't see their Windoze buddies anymore.

Here is an easy to follow step by step upgrade guide.

Bernd, can you please review and confirm that it's ok like that? Maybe, it's a good idea to put it on GitHub/TorChat landing page if you're not able to keep the windoze zip current. (No offence)

1. Close TorChat
2. Download the offical Tor Browser Bundle from Tor Project
3. Extract Tor Browser Bundle to: c:\
4. Copy: C:\Tor Browser\Tor\tor.exe to c:\TorChat\bin\Tor\
5. Copy: C:\Tor Browser\Tor\libeay32.dll to c:\TorChat\bin\Tor\
6. Copy: C:\Tor Browser\Tor\libevent-2-0-5.dll to c:\TorChat\bin\Tor\
7. Copy: C:\Tor Browser\Tor\libssp-0.dll to c:\TorChat\bin\Tor\
8. Copy: C:\Tor Browser\Tor\ssleay32.dll to c:\TorChat\bin\Tor\
9. Copy: C:\Tor Browser\Tor\zlib1.dll to c:\TorChat\bin\Tor\
10. Start TorChat: c:\TorChat\bin\torchat.exe

Best practice for Windoze users should be to follow this guide every time, a new TorBrowserBundle comes out!

Regards

[zedxxx]

1. Close TorChat
2. Download latest "Expert Bundle" build: https://www.torproject.org/dist/win32/
3. Install it to c:\TorChat\bin\Tor\
4. Start TorChat

[mrhki]

Hi,

So, how does this affect between two windows users? If they have both outdated tor binary ? They can see each other and chat? And when other updates (as described above) tor binary, can that oudated see anymore? Or does they come invisible to each other?

[doll1]

Guess, both outdated can see each other and chat as long as there are enough outdated tor nodes out there to route them. Matter of time.

Updated won't see outdated anymore and to the outdated the updated doesn't come beyond handshake state. So, they're unable to contact anymore 'til the outdated update too.

Solution can't be to stay unsafe to keep unsafe contacts. Better convince your unsafe buddies to upgrade too beforehand.

[raven1212tor]

Hi,

my question is: is there a difference between the first guide (with the steps to copy the tor browser files) and the second guide (expert bundle)?

The expert bundle is a good way to update, but now there is a new version of the tor browser (4.0.2), but the expert bundle version is still from 06-Jun-2014.

So what is to do now? To do nothing or to copy as the first posting above describes it?

[zedxxx]

Use expert bundle.

If you look to the changelog of tor browser you will see that all changes about browser (FireFox), but not Tor. So if you will use updates from expert bundle you will got updates for Tor only.

[raven1212tor]

Thanks a lot. This information is helpful - also for my torchat buddies. :)

Use expert bundle.

If you look to the changelog of tor browser you will see that all changes about browser (FireFox), but not Tor. So if you will use updates from expert bundle you will got updates for Tor only.

---

Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub: https://github.com/prof7bit/TorChat/issues/62#issuecomment-65446571

[justthisguyuknow]

I just tried using the expert bundle to install to the default location, hoping that would solve issues related to the libpurple pidgin plugin, but after the installation (which the tor installer said was to c:/program files(x86)/tor/) there is no such folder, nothing seems to have been installed, and I don't see tor in the list of programs that can be uninstalled through control panel either...

Edit - Aha! Works if you run the installer as admin, otherwise it appears to do nothing and you get no error messages that anything is wrong. libpurple to plugin seems to be working now.

[proutsteack]

hello, i have problems too to update my torchat , i use windows 64 i have tried the two methods and i have the same results: i can't have an id and all i have with my torchat is 000000000..... at the top ,so it's no working i have checked in the .ini need to be updated too , but i give up i have tried all that i can , i give up , help me please can't we propose to people a torchat version already updated each time a new tbb is released ? torchat is actually not safe for me and not working , we can't propose to people something like that

[Travis2015]

Upgrading torchat is very easy.

1. Install torchat from GitHub.
   https://github.com/downloads/prof7bit/TorChat/torchat-windows-0.9.9.553.zip

2. Replace the 'old' tor.exe with the 'newer' tor.exe found here ...
   https://dist.torproject.org/win32/tor-0.2.4.23-win32.exe

Just unzip the 'tor-0.2.4.23-win32.exe' file, find tor.exe, copy and paste into the torchat tor directory so as to replace the 'old' tor.exe file (in the bin\Tor dir). 'old' tor.exe is dated 09/15/2012 and 'new' tor.exe is dated 07/28/2014.

Works for both win32 and win64 OS. Very simple.

[proutsteack]

Thanks Travis2015 , so you mean by extract 'tor-0.2.4.23-win32.exe" , that we must install this exe. and then after copy and paste tor .exe So ok , i've done it and it works but how to know if it really works ?

[Travis2015]

Hello proutsteack. It really does work because the 'new' tor.exe (dated 07/28/2014) was created to address the 'heartbleed' exploit. Very few Tor nodes will accept the 'old' tor.exe (dated 09/15/2012) anymore. But that is the only change. The actual Tor binary has not been updated since, just the ongoing Tor browser bundle(s), which are, btw, really nice, but are all just using the same Tor binary since July 2014. So you are good to go with Torchat as a super secure text and file transfer platform.

You can always run a wireshark of the Tor client/server hellos and watch the ECDHE cipher suites in action if that makes you feel better. Good news is this is also resistant to the recent logjam exploit so all in all just do the simple tor.exe update and you are rock solid. Cheers.

[ghost]

Cheers. It's rather annoying using windows sometimes but where there is a will there's a way.