N2Usenet: Pseudonymous Posting Through Nym and Tor

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
[email protected]. 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
-> [email protected]
-> 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

--- Digital Signature ---
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