We'll Pay You to #HackTor

> BTW I'm now wondering whether the well-known anti-virus apps automatically protect against internet malware while using tor? My anti-virus app has an 'other browser' box which is enabled but I haven't a clue if this relates to tor?

Important points about what has been publicly discussed so far about state-sponsored malware include:

o major goals of the malware authors include:
+ defeating (or even exploiting for attacks) the latest anti-virus
+ defeating Tor
+ using "fileless" malware to establish persistence rather than leaving anything on a hard drive
+ attacking BIOS or microcontrollers (in hard drives etc) rather than the OS
+ remaining undetected
+ deflecting suspicion (preferably to an adversary) if detected
+ starting with unsophisticated recon and gradually increasing sophistication of attacks
+ increasingly sophisticated phishing campaigns to gain access to target networks
+ starting by exfiltrating file names and later gradually exfiltrating the actual files
+ hijacking third party servers for "staging" during covert exfiltration of files
+ hijacking third party servers for sending malware to targets
+ learning from other malware authors including criminal hackers

o the increasing role of surveillance-as-a-service companies
+ even governments with well-financed spy agencies (such as USA) hire them
+ companies such as Gamma, Hacking Team, and NSO sometimes work together
+ the worst governments of the world can and do hire the three named companies
+ these companies are concentrated in Israel, USA, UK, EU but are also found in South Africa, Russia, and Asia
+ contrary to US Congress claims, Kaspersky may *not* be simply a catspaw of Putin (certainly this is one A/V company which has not hesitated to discuss NSA malware in public, which gives an invaluable counterbalance to the eagerness of "Western" AV companies to discuss RU malware)

o the scope of the targeted populations is rapidly increasing, and currently includes:
+ soda tax activists
+ children of friends of "interesting people"
+ human rights activists
+ bloggers who express support for the Black Lives Matter or Occupy movement
+ local, provincial, and national level politicians
+ scientists (esp. in politicized fields like climate change and cybersecurity)
as well as such obvious categories as
+ heads of state
+ local, provincial, national government employees
+ telecom engineers, power grid technicians
+ reporters

o the worst governments in the world (even poor ones) can and do hire SAAS companies

o increasingly, many governments appear to share information with criminal elements such as drug cartels (which may even help pay for the SAAS subscriptions)

o countermeasures by targeted populations *can* be effective in hindering intrusions

I suggest that Tor users make a habit of checking Techdirt and:

Citizen Lab irregular but frequent publications of studies of state-sponsored malware:

https://citizenlab.ca/

Wikileaks publication each Friday of leaks from Vault7 (CIA malware):

https://wikileaks.org/

And, over time, it is very helpful to study the documents in EFF's (incomplete) collection of published Snowden leaks:

https://www.eff.org/nsa-spying/nsadocs

as well as other Wikileaks publications, such as their study of how US secret agents regularly dox themselves (and provide vast amounts of "order of battle" type information plus code names and techniques) at publically readable job sites catering to the US military-surveillance-industrial complex.