• N2Usenet: Pseudonymous Posting Through Nym and Tor

    From Gabx@n2usenet@virebent.art to alt.privacy.anon-server,alt.privacy,alt.cypherpunks on Mon Aug 10 23:09:05 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.privacy.anon-server

    Before posting, create a pseudonymous identity in N2Usenet and save
    the downloaded n2usenet-identity.json file. On future visits, use
    "Load Identity File" to continue posting with the same identity,
    Ed25519 keypair and VFACE identicon.

    Use a dedicated pseudonym and an email address unrelated to your real
    identity. Keep the JSON file in encrypted storage: it contains the
    secret Ed25519 key,
    and anyone who obtains it can sign posts as you.

    Messages are signed locally in the browser. The secret key never
    leaves your device. Only the public key, signature and pseudonymous
    identity are submitted and attached to the article. Reusing the same
    key proves continuity, but also makes your posts linkable.

    Users do not need SMTP credentials. N2Usenet authenticates to mail.virebent.art:587 with the dedicated service account
    n2usenet@virebent.art. Its password is stored only in a protected
    server-side secret file. SMTP AUTH PLAIN is performed only after
    STARTTLS has established and verified the encrypted TLS session.

    The complete route is:

    Browser
    HTTPS to n2usenet.virebent.art
    Nym SOCKS5, mixnet and dedicated requester
    SMTP/TLS and AUTH to mail.virebent.art:587
    Postfix with DKIM signing
    mail2news@mail2news.tcpreset.net
    Mail2News conversion
    Tor
    NNTP at:
    peannyjkqwqfynd24p6dszvtchkq7hfkwymi5by5y332wmosy5dwfaqd.onion:119
    INN accepts and distributes the Usenet article

    The SMTP/TLS session is carried through Nym. Tor is used later by
    Mail2News to reach the NNTP Onion Service. NNTP is the application
    protocol, while Tor provides access to the .onion endpoint.
    During real-world operation, Nym proved to be the least reliable
    part of the route. The official client could remain active and keep
    its SOCKS5 port open even with an expired gateway registration and
    0 B of available bandwidth, while message delivery simply timed out.

    Gateway registrations are temporary, requester addresses are coupled
    to the selected gateway, latency-based gateway selection failed
    despite hundreds of advertised candidates, upgrades required manual configuration migration, and unclean shutdowns damaged reply state.

    N2Usenet now verifies the complete Nym, SMTP, TLS and AUTH path and
    monitors gateway expiry instead of trusting the client process alone.
    These measures reduce failures, but they mitigate rather than remove
    the underlying operational fragility.

    https://n2usenet.virebent.art

    Gabx

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