To maintain privacy on the web, using the Tor network with the associated open-source Tor browser is a good choice. The Tor Project has deployed the updated Tor Browser 12.5.3, mirroring Mozilla’s Firefox updates. Tor Browser is based on Firefox ESR.
So far, the Tor Browser still uses the proven foundation of Firefox ESR 102. The new Tor Browser 12.5.3 version contains the recently released Firefox ESR 102.15. The Mozilla developers have closed a number of security gaps in it. The Tor Browser also benefits from this. The Tor developers have also backported Android-specific security fixes from Firefox 117 for the Android version of their browser. In addition, Tor Browser now uses the latest version 1.1.1v of the OpenSSL open source program library, in which two security holes have been closed.
▶The latest security updates
Firefox ESR 102.15 is Mozilla’s final update for this release branch. Therefore, the developers of the Tor project are also preparing for the change to the new Firefox ESR 115 generation. They go through everything new since the release of Firefox ESR 102 to check for any negative impact on users. Tor Browser 13.0a3 is the third pre-release available for testing purposes. It already contains Firefox ESR 115.2. Tor Browser 13.0 on a new basis should appear in the course of September – at the latest shortly after Firefox 118.
Until then, anyone who cares about protecting their privacy, perhaps even vital under restrictive regimes, should stick with the mature Tor Browser 12.5 solution. Debugging and experimenting with the pre-release versions is better left to those whose personal risk is manageable.
Tor Browser 12.5.3 is available free (open source) for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android.
