I2P is an anonymous P2P network that protects from online censorship, surveillance and monitoring.
It was recently announced the new release of I2P version 2.5.0 along with i2pd C++ client 2.51.0 and in this new version, several improvements and additions have been made, of which one of the main points on which they focusedThe developers were in strengthen the implementation of NetDB isolation strategy, This new version intra network security, since compared to the previous version, 2.4.0 presents notable changes in several key areas.
For those who are unaware of I2P, or Invisible Internet Project, you should know that It is an alternative to access the internet anonymously, similar to Tor but with significant differences. While Tor uses layers of encryption, I2P uses a routing called "garlic", where messages are grouped into data packets called “garlic cloves.” This technique prevents outside observers from guessing message timing, unlike Tor's layering method.
Although I2P has limitations in accessing superficial information on the web, It stands out for its ability to create exclusive sites on the dark web, known as eepsites. These eepsites allow users to perform activities such as sending messages securely and hiding their geographic location from external Internet users.
What's new in I2P 2.5.0?
In this new version of I2P 2.5.0 that is presented, as already mentioned at the beginning, the Security improvements and bug fixes in the NetDB database, used to detect peers in the I2P network. The improvements implemented were made in the adjustments to improve spam resistance and the router's ability to reject suspicious messages. This was part of an effort to "audit" the implementation of "subdatabase isolation" defenses since version 2.4.0.
Another change that stands out in the new version is that now the BitTorrent client “I2PSnark” supports torrent search capability and has better compatibility with other BitTorrent clients that support I2P, such as BiglyBT and qBittorrent.
In addition to this, the email client SusiMail has received new features, including support for Markdown format in emails and supports file attachment, drag and drop, allowing a more attractive and structured presentation of content.
In I2P 2.5.0 tunnels created with Hidden Service Manager have been improved using the hidden services manager as they now support “Keepalive” which improves performance, router tools to block suspicious messages have been improved and build generation for Android and Windows in i2pd has been improved.
Of the other changes What stands out from I2P 2.5.0:
- New algorithms have been implemented to calculate RTT, RTO and sliding window in i2pd.
- Improvements to the SSU2 transport protocol, such as using SOCKS5 instead of SOCKS4
- New implementations of packet forwarding, send buffering, timeouts and congestion control.
- Implementation of Server Side Keepalive/Persistence in I2PTunnel.
- Compressed storage of RI and LS in Data.
- Improvements to directory change management in I2PSnark.
- Various bug fixes in different components to improve stability and security.
- Translation updates have been made and API improvements have been implemented.
If you are interested in knowing more about it, you can check the details in the launch announcement In the following link.
How to install I2P on Linux?
If you are interested in using the utility on your system, you should know that I2P is cross-platformThat is, it offers packages for both Windows, Linux, MacOS and even Docker and also for mobile devices, such as Android and iOS. Can download I2P 2.5.0 from the link below.
In the case of Linux, you can get the precompiled packages offered for Ubuntu officially and even for Arch Linux (which are built from the .deb packages) or choose to download the .jar file to run I2P. In our case we are going to install I2P from the Ubuntu repositories and to do this we must open a terminal and type:
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:i2p-maintainers/i2p
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install i2p
While in the case of Arch Linux The only requirement is to have the AUR repository enabled and to have an AUR assistant (for example yay). In a terminal we must type:
yay -s i2p
Finally, for Debian and distributions based on it, They must carry out a series of steps, which you can find this link.