New Release: Tor Browser 8.5.5

by boklm | September 03, 2019

Tor Browser 8.5.5 is now available from the Tor Browser Download page and also from our distribution directory.

This release features important security updates to Firefox.

This release is updating Firefox to 60.9.0esr, Tor to 0.4.1.5, and NoScript to 11.0.3. This release also includes various bug fixes. On the Windows side, we should now have support for accessibility tools. On the Android side, we added support for arm64-v8a devices.

This is expected to be the last release in the 8.5 series: on October 22 we will switch to the 9.0 series, based on Firefox 68ESR.

Note 1: Due to a temporary issue with our update infrastructure, we did not enable automatic updates for Windows, Linux and macOS users yet. We hope to be able to fix this issue soon. Update: this issue is now fixed, updates are enabled.

Note 2: Due to some issue with Google Play's new requirement for 64bit versions, we have not yet been able to publish the Android x86 and x86_64 versions on Google Play. We hope to be able to fix this in the next days. In the meantime the x86 version can be downloaded from our website.

Note 3: There is an issue with the aarch64 version on Android 9 causing a crash on every launch. We are working on a fix for this issue.

The full changelog since Tor Browser 8.5.4 is:

  • All platforms
    • Update Firefox to 60.9.0esr
    • Update Torbutton to 2.1.13
      • Bug 31520: Remove monthly giving banner from Tor Browser
      • Bug 31140: Do not enable IonMonkey on aarch64
      • Translations update
    • Update NoScript to 11.0.3
      • Bug 26847: NoScript pops up a full-site window for XSS warning
      • Bug 31287: NoScript leaks browser locale
    • Bug 31357: Retire Tom's default obfs4 bridge
  • Windows + OS X + Linux
    • Update Tor to 0.4.1.5
  • Windows
    • Bug 31547: Back out patch for Mozilla's bug 1574980
    • Bug 27503: Provide full support for accessibility tools
    • Bug 30575: Don't allow enterprise policies in Tor Browser
    • Bug 31141: Fix typo in font.system.whitelist
  • Android
  • Build System
Tags
tor browser
tbb
tbb-8.5
Anon

todi (not verified) said:

September 07, 2019

Permalink

Can't download any files, it keeps failing. It doesn't even ask where you want to download the file to. Using TorBrowser-8.5.5osx64

Anon

certifiable (not verified) said:

September 08, 2019

Permalink

minor "bug" is:
about:tor tab loads as an additional tab, at every tor browser start up.

have options set so when tor browser starts up, it loads tabs that were open when tor browser was previously shut down.
version 8.5.5 on Windows 7

Anon

useragent (not verified) said:

September 08, 2019

Permalink

Hi, I can no longer modify user agent on this new tor browser. When I click on useragent.override theres only "true/false" options. Is there any way I can modify it in this new browser?

Anon

Anonymous (not verified) said:

September 08, 2019

Permalink

Having a strange problem with 8.5.5 running under Debian 10 with MATE desktop environment running on an HP PC with 1920x1080 display: the window is incorrectly placed, title bar is missing, and the drop down menus don't work.

This is likely related to multiple problems with pretty much everything in Debian 10, which clearly was released too early, and which appears to be fairly useless.

Tails 3.16 booted from a DVD works fine on the same computer. I fear this might change when Tails 4.0 comes out because that will be based on Debian 10.

Anon

Anonymous (not verified) said:

September 08, 2019

Permalink

Request to blog maintainers:

Please listen to the many users who live in regions with slow internet infrastructure and who have complained that the huge images appear to be slowing down loading of the webpages so much that we have to manually enter links to blog posts we wish to read. Many issues involving Tor are hard to fix but this one is very easy: remove the huge images which are unneeded eye candy and replace them with much smaller versions.

Anon

Jo Link (not verified) said:

September 09, 2019

Permalink

TOR browser for Android 10 crashes on every launch. It can't stay afloat.

New update w/ Samsung Galaxy causes crash on every load immediately

After update of tor on Linux Mint i have experienced extremely long time starting up the tor browser (>10 minutes). What coulis be the reason, and how to fix?

Probably unlikely (10 mins is a lot), but it might be because of some add-on while running on higher security levels - could be related to bug #23719
If that is the case try disabling all non-default add-ons or lowering your security level and see if it still takes that long to start up.

Related to https://blog.torproject.org/comment/282424#comment-282424

Tor unexpectly exited on startup seen also on Tor Browser 8.5.5

Tor Browser closes control connection and therefore tor exits.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Sep 13 05:36:34.000 [notice] Bootstrapped 90% (ap_handshake_done): Handshake finished with a relay to build circuits
Sep 13 05:36:34.000 [notice] Bootstrapped 95% (circuit_create): Establishing a Tor circuit
Sep 13 05:36:55.000 [notice] New control connection opened from 127.0.0.1.
Sep 13 05:36:55.000 [notice] Owning controller connection has closed -- exiting now.
Sep 13 05:36:55.000 [notice] Catching signal TERM, exiting cleanly.

Hm. Did we ever pinpoint the exact version where this started for you?

Hello Tor developers & users!

Seems like the Roscomnadzor and SORM / Yarovaya's package network hardware
are blocking the possibility of OBFS4 connections.
Currently only "meek-azure" connects successfully.

Please check the OBFS4 availability (with OONI or such) for:
Russia, Moscow, ISP Onlime (Rostelecom).

Tor Browser version: 8.5.5 for Linux.

I have just gone to the page of an onion search engine and was surprised to see that my usual guard was shown at no. 3 in the list of declared nodes and another node was shown as the ‘guard’.

I called up another onion search engine and this time my usual guard was in its usual place.

Any thoughts?
Thanks

Having problems with verifying GPG keys on 8.5.5 (Linux X64). I'm pretty much a n00b but I can follow Terminal instructions easily enough. I have tried updating the GPG keys too but no joy. I presume this is already already known about?

NoScript enables fonts in safer.

Which fonts? Do you have an example?

Not op, but on Safer, open the NoScript menu. Click the Options icon that looks like the NoScript crossed-out "S" covered by a wrench. On the General tab are the Present customizations, the pattern of checkboxes for the Default mode, Trusted mode, and Untrusted mode. All three have Fonts checked (allowed). Safer's description in preferences says "Some fonts and math symbols are disabled."

Yes. As the text says, only some fonts are disabled while I think the NoScript menu item would disable *all* fonts if it was checked.

I tested in IP check

BUG / ANONYMITY RISK ?
I was on youtube, the video started with an advertising, so while waiting advertising to finish I start reading comments to that video.
Advertising start playing FULL SCREEN automatically.
Do not remember which video but I think it's the problem is a new kind of advertisement, or some settings ?

Step to reproduce:
1. Go to youtube and start to watch videos without any other actions.
2. Wait for the right "strange" form of advertising.
3. Video / advertising start to play fullscreen at some point.
4. tbb yellow strip alert you about fullscreen at top.

TBB-8.5.5 x86_64 on Linux Ubuntu 18.04

I would love to install TOR browser, but it is not running under 32bit Win...is there any suitable version and how can I download it?
Thanks

We have 32bit bundles for Windows 7-10. You can find them on https://www.torproject.org/download/languages/. (We have the 64bit version on our main page because that's what most of our Windows users want to download anyway)

Can i copy/use prefs.js from Tor Browser 8.5.5 in the next release?

I am not sure to be honest and it probably depends on what preferences you have saved in your prefs.js file.

After the update with Windows 10 the Tor browser doesn't allow me to go to any sites, instead it says:
"The proxy server is refusing connections

Firefox is configured to use a proxy server that is refusing connections.

Check the proxy settings to make sure that they are correct.
Contact your network administrator to make sure the proxy server is working."

I can't find the proxy settings anywhere from the browser... What should I do? Thanks for the help! :)

That happens after restarting the browser as well? I wonder whether something is blocking Tor here. Do you have any antivirus/firewall software installed that could block things here? If so, which? Does it work if you uninstall that piece of software (disabling is often not enough)?

Does anyone know how Tor performs with Opera?