xB Browser (formerly known as TorPark and Xerobank browser) was a

web browser A web browser is application software for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's screen. Browsers are used o ...

designed to run on both the Tor and XeroBank anonymity networks, and is available as component of the xB Machine and the xB Installer. It is designed for use on portable media such as a

USB flash drive Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables, connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply ( interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A bro ...

, but it can also be used on any

hard disk drive A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with mag ...

. As such, a secure and

encrypted In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can deci ...

connection to any of the Tor or XeroBank routers can be created from any

computer A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ( computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These prog ...

with a suitable Internet connection, and the browser clears all data that was created on the portable drive upon exit or on demand. In March 2007 it was reported that the xB Browser was downloaded 4 million times and in February 2008 over 6.5 million downloads making xB Browser the most popular anonymous browser on the Internet.

History

Steve Topletz co-released Torpark v.1.5.0.7 with

CULT OF THE DEAD COW Cult of the Dead Cow, also known as cDc or cDc Communications, is a computer hacker and DIY media organization founded in 1984 in Lubbock, Texas. The group maintains a weblog on its site, also titled "Cult of the Dead Cow". New media are rele ...

Hacktivismo Hacktivismo is an offshoot of Cult of the Dead Cow, CULT OF THE DEAD COW (cDc), whose beliefs include access to information as a basic human right. It was founded in 1999. The group's beliefs are described fully in The Hacktivismo Declaration, whi ...

on 19 September 2006 after more than one year of development based on Portable Firefox web browser with built in support for Tor and using the

Nullsoft Scriptable Install System Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS) is a script-driven installer authoring tool for Microsoft Windows backed by Nullsoft, the creators of Winamp. NSIS is released under a combination of free software licenses, primarily the zlib licens ...

. In 2007 it was redesigned from scratch. A cross-compatible version for

Mac OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lap ...

and

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, whi ...

was being developed based on xB Machine, due to be available in August 2008, but the development seems now abandoned.

Network usage

Tor network

xB Browser routes

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

traffic through several onion servers, obscuring the originating IP address and

encrypting In cryptography, encryption is the process of Code, encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can ...

the data. Other applications such as

Pidgin A pidgin , or pidgin language, is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two or more groups of people that do not have a language in common: typically, its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn from s ...

can be routed through the

Tor network Tor, short for The Onion Router, is free and open-source software for enabling anonymous communication. It directs Internet traffic through a free, worldwide, volunteer overlay network, consisting of more than seven thousand relays, to conc ...

via xB Browser by directing the applications' traffic to a

SOCKS A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

proxy Proxy may refer to: * Proxy or agent (law), a substitute authorized to act for another entity or a document which authorizes the agent so to act * Proxy (climate), a measured variable used to infer the value of a variable of interest in climate re ...

localhost In computer networking, localhost is a hostname that refers to the current device used to access it. It is used to access the network services that are running on the host via the loopback network interface. Using the loopback interface bypasses ...

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

9050. This port can be changed via xB Config, an INI generator for xB Browser.

XeroBank network

xB Browser is optimized for use on the XeroBank anonymity network, which is a private and commercial

broadband In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...

network operated by Xero Networks AG. The XeroBank network routes traffic through at least two multi-jurisdictional hops. In contrast to Tor, the XeroBank network supports both TCP and UDP protocols, performs channel

multiplexing In telecommunications and computer networking, multiplexing (sometimes contracted to muxing) is a method by which multiple analog or digital signals are combined into one signal over a shared medium. The aim is to share a scarce resource - ...

for low observability, is run by a single entity and costs money to use. The XeroBank network is accessible via SSH and

OpenVPN OpenVPN is a virtual private network (VPN) system that implements techniques to create secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections in routed or bridged configurations and remote access facilities. It implements both client and server app ...

protocols. xB Browser internally manages a SSH connection to XeroBank, but will recognize and submit to OpenVPN connections.

Features

Besides the anonymous networks, xB Browser uses following add-ons: *

Adblock Plus Adblock Plus (ABP) is a free and open-source browser extension for content-filtering and ad blocking. It is developed by developer Wladimir Palant's Eyeo GmbH, a German software company. The extension has been released for Mozilla Firefox (inc ...

, *

Cookies A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chi ...

and Flash cookies removal, *Browser history clearing after closing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xb Browser 2006 software Anonymity networks Cult of the Dead Cow software Gopher clients Portable software Web browsers based on Firefox