Title: Uncover the Secret to Anonymous Cryptocurrency Transactions with This Simple Linux Tutorial!
Are you looking for a way to make your cryptocurrency transactions anonymous and untraceable? Then you have come to the right place! In this tutorial, we will show you how to use Linux to create anonymous cryptocurrency transactions.
Cryptocurrency transactions are not anonymous by default. All Bitcoin transactions are recorded in a public ledger called the blockchain, and anyone can access this ledger to see who is sending and receiving Bitcoin. While the identities of the people involved in the transaction may not be revealed in the blockchain, their transaction activity and the amount of Bitcoin they have sent or received can be easily traced.
However, there is a solution to this problem - the use of a privacy-centric cryptocurrency called Monero. Monero transactions are completely anonymous and untraceable, making it the perfect cryptocurrency for those who value privacy and anonymity.
To use Monero to create anonymous cryptocurrency transactions, you will need to download and install the Monero software on your Linux machine. Once you have installed the software, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the Monero wallet on your Linux machine
Step 2: Click on the “Receive” tab and select “Create new address.” This will generate a new Monero address that you can use to receive payments.
Step 3: Send Monero to the address you just created. This can be done by copying the address and pasting it into the “send” field on your Monero wallet.
Step 4: When you send Monero, it will be sent to the address you specified, but the transaction information will be completely anonymous and untraceable. No one will be able to trace the transaction back to you or link it to your identity.
By following these steps, you can easily make anonymous cryptocurrency transactions using Monero and your Linux machine. This is a great way to protect your privacy and maintain your anonymity while using cryptocurrency.
In conclusion, anonymity and privacy are important in the cryptocurrency world, and Monero provides that. With the help of this simple Linux tutorial, you can now make anonymous and untraceable transactions with Monero. So, go ahead and start making secure and anonymous transactions now!
Monero is the current gold standard for a private cryptocurrency. Unlike Bitcoin, it allows you to easily and seamlessly transact value online without any visible record in the Monero blockchain, so users often prefer Monero in transactions where they want to be anonymous. Here we show you how to install a Monero node, setting it up to broadcast over Tor and connecting it through a mobile wallet.
Why Host Your Own Monero Node
One issue with Monero is that, if you are using it through a mobile wallet, you can expose your current location with your IP address. Not only that, but it is also possible for a malicious node operator to snoop into your transactions if you do not use your own node.
One way to deal with this issue is by hosting your own Monero node through Tor. Similar to hosting a hidden website, doing this will make sure that any connection you make is private and that you can host your node even in a CG-NAT network.
Installing a Monero Node
Before you can install Monero, you need to make sure that you have the following resources available and ready:
- Machine that is constantly connected to the Internet. This could either be an old PC in your home or VPS that you are currently renting.
- Ample amount of hard disk space and memory on your machine. For the most part, a 1TB hard disk and 8GB of RAM should be enough to hold the entire Monero blockchain.
- Root access to your machine, as installing a Monero node will require you to configure and modify system files.
This tutorial was created on a Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS machine, though the steps for other LInux distributions are similar.
Obtaining Monero
Obtain a copy of Monero’s latest binaries. By default, the current version of both the Monero daemon and client are not available as installable packages in apt.
Download a copy of the latest binary from the developer’s website with the following command:
Create a new directory to extract and run the Monero daemon:
Extract the Monero archive to your new directory:
Synchronizing Your Monero Node
You will find a number of binaries in your “monero” directory. To initialize the daemon, run the following command:
This command will create all the necessary files and folders for Monero on the current user’s home directory, cleanly detach itself from the currently active terminal process and quietly synchronize in the background.
In most cases, synchronizing with the Monero blockchain can take one to three days, as the block verification process for this blockchain is CPU intensive. For example, my Core2Duo machine took four days to fully synchronize with the network.
Installing Tor and Creating a Hidden Service
Once you have a properly running node, start configuring it to work over the Tor network.
Install Tor along with its utilities:
Create a new hidden service entry for your Monero node by editing your “/etc/tor/torrc” file using your favorite text editor:
Find the section in the configuration file for hidden services by pressing Ctrl + W, then typing “HiddenServiceDir.”
Add a new service directory and port to allow Tor to pass any listening programs in the local machine to the Tor network by adding the following lines of code on your “/etc/tor/torrc” file:
Restart the Tor daemon to apply your new settings:
Configuring Your Node to Use Tor
Make sure the Monero daemon is completely stopped by running the following commands:
Create and edit your daemon’s configuration file:
Add the following lines of code to your configuration file:
Both the “rpc-bind-ip” and “rpc-bind-port” options tell the Monero node where to broadcast its service. In this case, you are telling it to broadcast all interfaces in port 18081.
The “restricted-rpc” option tells the node to require a password whenever a client attempts to connect to it.
The “rpc-login” sets the username and password for this Monero node. In my case, I am setting the username to “ramces” and the password to “averysecurepassword.”
The “no-igd” value tells the node to disable UPnP, which prevents your node from accidentally broadcasting its real IP address over the Internet.
Save your configuration file by pressing Ctrl + O then Ctrl + X. Restart your daemon by running ./monerod –detach.
Linking Your Node to a Mobile Wallet
With your node up and running over the Tor network, test it by pairing it with a mobile wallet. By default, the developers of Monero designed their cryptocurrency to be as modular as possible, making it easy to link multiple wallets together to a single node that provides all the blockchain data.
Download a mobile wallet. In my case, I will use Monerujo, as it supports Tor connections by default.
Install a Tor client for your device. For this, you can download Orbot from the Play Store.
Open Orbot and click the “Tor-Enabled Apps” button on the bottom center of the screen.
Scroll through the list of your applications and tick the checkbox under Monerujo.
Go back to the previous screen and click the “START” button. This will create a small VPN that forces Monerujo to connect to the Internet using Tor.
Connecting Monerujo to Your Tor Node
Once Monerujo is using the Tor network, you can link your Tor-only Monero node to your mobile wallet.
Open the Monerujo app and click the “Network” section.
Tap on the “+” icon in the app’s lower-right corner.
This will open a small window where you can provide the details of your Monero node. For the first item, you need to provide both the .onion address of your node and its port number. You can quickly check your node’s .onion address by running the following command:
You also need to provide both the username and password for your node’s RPC client. In my case, I will use “ramces” as my username and “averysecurepassword” as my password.
Click the “TEST” button in the window’s lower-left corner to check whether your wallet can successfully communicate with your node.
Click the “OK” button to save your node’s details and connect to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Image credit: Unsplash. All alterations and screenshots by Ramces Red.
Is it possible to speed up the blockchain synchronization process?
Yes. Obtain a copy of the entire blockchain from the developer’s website, then import this external blockchain by going to your Monero folder and running ./monero-blockchain-import –input-file /home/$USER/Downloads/blockchain.raw.
Can you link a desktop Monero wallet to a remote node?
To connect your desktop CLI wallet to your Tor-only node, ensure that this wallet can access the Tor network by installing and running torsocks . on the current terminal session followed by: ./monero-wallet-cli –daemon-address address.onion:18081.
I cannot connect to my Tor-only Monero node. How can I fix this?
This issue is most likely due to a firewall issue in your node machine. By default, the RPC port for Monero should be open, regardless of any firewall program you use. Despite this, there are instances where you might accidentally blacklist all unknown ports from your system while setting up your firewall.
To fix this issue, explicitly tell your firewall to keep port 18081 open at all times. For example, you can run ufw allow 18081/tcp to tell the ufw program to allow any incoming RPC connections.
Ramces is a technology writer that lived with computers all his life. A prolific reader and a student of Anthropology, he is an eccentric character that writes articles about Linux and anything *nix.
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