[messaging] Generating memorable hidden service names

[George Kadianakis]

David Leon Gil <coruus at gmail.com> writes:

> See https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-talk/2014-October/035412.html

Fun times!

I bet most of you know this but brute-forced vanity addresses are not
the best way to generate human memorable names:

Quick test, which one is the correct address for facebook?
a) facebookcorewwwl.onion
b) facebookcorewwwi.onion
c) facebookcorewwwe.onion

Also note that when the upcoming HS changes [0] get implemented, the
length of onion addresses will increase to 52 characters. Say hello
to: facebookcorewwwi0ta0tsw6uovyhwlezkcrmczeuzdvfauuemle.onion

That said, I also don't know what's the best way to generate human
memorable HS names.

As part of upcoming funded work, Tor might implement an opt-in
indexing service for HSes: a server where HSes can send their
descriptors if they want to be public. That's for HSes that have the
facebook/twitter threat model; not the "activist XMPP server" or the
"personal SSH server" threat model.

Such an indexing server might allow FIFO petname systems (ugh
typosquatting!) or a GNS integration (ugh complicated system!) to
happen [1]. Who knows, maybe that's better solution than plain vanity
addresses.

[0]: https://gitweb.torproject.org/torspec.git/blob/HEAD:/proposals/224-rend-spec-ng.txt

[2]: https://lists.torproject.org/pipermail/tor-dev/2014-October/007655.html