How to Access Onion Sites–The Ultimate Guide

 How to Access Onion Sites–The Ultimate Guide

First and foremost, you should know that surfing the dark web and accessing onion sites is totally legal as long as you avoid illegal activities. That said, it’s a good idea to grab your gear and amp up your protection before taking the deep dive. Here’s how:

1. Download Tor Browser

Tor Browser is the only way you can access any .onion site. While proxies like Tor2Web let you visit them without running Tor, you must avoid them completely. The proxy provider can know who you are and what websites you visit, which entirely defeats the purpose. Tor browser is the safest way to explore Tor’s ecosystem. That’s why you better stick to it (with additional safety measures).

2. Install/Update Anti-Malware

When you’re hopping between .onion sites, you can land on malware-laden pages before you know it. While we advise you to stick to the links we recommend, you should also protect yourself from accidental clicks. Make sure you use a powerful, up-to-date anti-malware shield.

Simply add the CyberGhost Security Suite to your CyberGhost VPN subscription, if you have one. You’ll get best-in-class anti-malware and anti-virus protection against advanced, underground cyber threats in minutes.

3. Get a VPN

This one’s a must-have for surface web surfers and dark web divers alike. Don’t open the Tor browser without connecting to your VPN first. Don’t have one? Try out CyberGhost VPN risk-free with our 45-day money-back guarantee.

It’ll take you a couple of minutes, but we’ll hide your IP address right off the bat and encrypt your connection end-to-end. Using a VPN to access onion sites is called Onion over VPN. It gives you all the security you need to explore the dark web safely.

Warning: Free VPNs won’t cut it here. They may be dangerous and compromise your safety on the dark web. They keep tabs on your online activities and may sell them for profit. Free VPNs are also inconvenient, as they often connect you to outdated servers. That’ll give you slow speeds on top of Tor’s relay-based delays. Don’t mess around the dark web with unreliable VPNs.

Choose a VPN that has these features:

An extensive, state-of-the-art server infrastructure

Military-grade encryption standards

Automatic kill switch

DNS leak protection

Stringent No-Logs Policy

CyberGhost VPN meets all these requirements. We have a massive server fleet of 7100+ servers spread across 91 countries, and extra-secure NoSpy servers. We constantly update our servers to give you optimal speeds and foolproof protection. We use crack-proof AES-256 encryption, so you can even be safe from Tor’s bad nodes.

We’ve also added features like an automatic kill switch and DNS leak protection, so you’ll never face accidental information leaks. We stand by our unwavering No-Logs Policy and delete all traces of your online activities as soon as you end your VPN session.