NymConnect: How does privacy enhance your apps & wallets
Enjoy strong privacy protections via the Nym mixnet
Enjoy strong privacy protections via the Nym mixnet
NymConnect is a one-button end user application that connects wallets and messaging apps to the Nym mixnet.
NymConnect privacy-enhances your apps and wallets by protecting not just the content, but also your IP address and your communications patterns. This means nobody can trace who you are communicating with or de-anonymize you!
This blogpost will take you through the simple steps of how to use NymConnect and to secure the privacy of your applications.
NOTE: NymConnect is in Beta, and is experimental software. Do not rely on it for strong anonymity (yet). NymConnect is the first step towards a general purpose Nym VPN.
Read on or watch:
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How does it work?
When you connect a wallet or app to NymConnect it will wrap your communications in several layers of encryption and send it through a gateway and the Nym mixnet.
The mixnet mixes your traffic with cover traffic and adds micro delays. This makes it impossible for an observer to trace and analyze your communications and it protects your IP address.
Communication patterns reveal more than people are aware of: your relationships, transaction histories, trading and spending habits, even psychological state of mind and your home address can be tracked down!
The Nym mixnet — and NymConnect — ensures that when you communicate online, you are speaking to and transacting with the person you intend to. And not some random stranger listening in!
Connect me up!
Right now, you can use NymConnect on your desktop computer for privacy-enhancing Telegram and Keybase messaging apps as well as Electrum, Blockstream Green and Monero wallets via NymConnect. Here is how you do it:
Step 1: Download NymConnect
First thing is to download the application from the Nym website. NOTE NymConnect is in Beta mode and is only usable on a desktop!
Step 2: Turn on NymConnect
Open the application and click the big button to turn on the app. You will now see something called Socks5 address number and a port number. You will need these shortly…
Step 3: Configure your app/ wallet
- Open the app or wallet you want to privacy-enhance (lets use Telegram as an example here).
2. Go to preferences or settings> Advanced> Connection type
3. Change your connection type to Socks5
4. Copy paste the Socks5 address number and your port number from NymConnect to your application
Step 3: You are connected!
Your app should now be connected to the Nym mixnet and privacy enhanced!
NOTE: your 3rd party app (Telegram, etc) will continue running through a socks5 proxy unless you deselect that option. So if NymConnect is not running your app traffic will not be coming through… so make sure to start up NymConnect again next time you open your computer!
Step 4: Aftercare…
The Nym mixnet is a decentralised network of independent operators. This is a fairly new and global community, all working together to provide you with some of the strongest privacy protections the world has seen!
However, this also means that the mixnet is still maturing — and parts of this global decentralised infrastructure sometimes drops out, cutting your connection. (In technical terms a gateway or mix node might go offline). In that case, NymConnect will notify you stating that “your gateway is having issues”. You can then manually switch gateways.
Here is how you change gateways…
- If NymConnect is on, make sure to click the big button to turn it off first
- Go to NymConnect and click on the top left burger
- Go to “settings”> “select your gateway” and switch it to manual. And click on “Network Explorer.” This will open a browser window with the explorer.
4. Click on gateways and copy the Identity Key of one of the gateways
6. Paste the Identity Key of your chosen gateway in NymConnect. You can now go back to the main NymConnect interface and click connect once again.
If you are having any further issues, join the Nym community support channels!
For the super-user — custom service providers!
Now some of you might be part of the more technically minded people and are keen to know how to push the limits of NymConnect and expand the realm of the possible.
NymConnect works with any type of application that can run socks5 proxy.
Most recently, we had the super-users of the Monero community set up a network requester to use NymConnect with Monero wallets.
To start using Monero wallet over the Nym mixnet
- Go to settings and select a service provider
- In the drop-down menu, select the last service provider: i1TiuoNp4jp9weffCW7tPnkb4hRTPydRjX8iXFVaYDG.88Z1hruuvbzWpdCE2xYnTbPNrr49j4s7mmUQC5wvRRLZ@3EPuxwGn2WP2HdxybzoDa5QsohYSP76aQQRUJuPMvk23
Want to build a service provider yourself?
Jump on our channels to meet our developer relations team!
Resources
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