Is it safe to use obfs3 bridges?

Support Relay Operator
1

Hi,
I was bored and browsing the internet when I stumbled across a Tor archive which had a few bridge addresses in it. I tried one of the obfs3 bridge addresses and it worked!
Here is the address:
obfs3 109.105.109.163:47779 4C331FA9B3D1D6D8FB0D8FBBF0C259C360D97E6A
Is it safe to still use this sort of bridge?

2

I’d recommend not using the bridge if its IP address has been revealed in the Tor forums.

1 Like
3

Hi,

As obfs3 is outdated, by definition I would like to say that no, it’s not safe. But I don’t think it means that each time you will use a bridge with obfs3 it will be insecure.

In all case, I advise to you to use a bridge with obfs4 or other pluggable transport who is still up to date :slight_smile:

5

Then why is this bridge running?

6

I thought all obfs2 and obfs3 bridges were extinct in 2023.

7

Then why is this bridge running?

Bridge operators are mostly individuals running the software on their own systems. Only the person running the bridge will be able to answer this question. You can reach out to them by finding their contact information in the relay search.

It could be the case that they’ve never updated to a newer version, or forgotten they were still running a bridge. If you do reach out, it may be helpful to let them know their IP was posted on the Tor forums and elsewhere. That way they can take appropriate action.

8

I’m very sorry, to be honest, I didn’t know posting the IP address was a bad idea. I’ll try to get in contact immediately.

9

I’ll inform everyone on the list whose obfs3 bridge addresses were listed.

1 Like