The Tor Project has removed more than 800 network servers which accounts for nearly 13.5% of the 6000 plus in the Tor network. These networks servers help internet users to browse anonymously.
The servers that have been blacklisted were running outdated and end-of-life (EOL) version of Tor software. Out of 800 blacklisted servers, 750 of them belonged to Tor middle relays and the rest 62 are exit relays. The exit relay is the point in the Tor network where user exit onto the world wide web after having their real location rerouted several times through the Tor network.
Instead of following a manual method like this time to block outdated Tor servers, the senior developers of the Tor Project plan have decided to roll out a software update in November which will automatically prevent connections with outdated and EOL Tor server versions by default.
The Tor Project team writes, “Until then, we will reject around 800 obsolete relays using their fingerprints,”
The main reason behind removing these servers was outdated Tor relays which are vulnerable to various attacks. And one more reason could be the lack of the recent security features found in the latest version of Tor software. So the Tor Project team did this to improve security and stability.
The admins of the Tor Project team started their work at the beginning of September. Initially, the Tor Project team planned to remove 1,276 servers running EOL versions but the number changed to 800 plus when Tor admins notified the owners of the servers.
