Run `tor-browser` as another user ??

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Hi,

I need to run Tor Browser as another user..

So here what I’m doing under, MX Linux ( Debian, SysVinit, xfce)

#as root, in a terminal under xfce

useradd --create-home --system --shell /usr/sbin/nologin TorUser
# btw --system or not ?

tar -xf tor-browser-linux...tar -C /opt --totals
chown -R TorUser:TorUser /opt/tor-browser

runuser -u TorUser -- /opt/tor-browser/start-tor-browser.desktop

return

Launching ‘./Browser/start-tor-browser –detach’…

But nothing happen, and I don’t see any process for TorUser

any ideas ?

Posted on the offical Tor-browser in June, but no reactions so far… :/

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Capital letters in user names. 🤮

Debian has torbrowser-launcher you might wanna take a look at that.

As for the issue, this could be because the user lacks credentials to connect to the display.

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Allows multiple easy to remember users. You can have user, User, uSer, USeR, USER, uSER…

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OP edited

I create also a “regular user” TorUser2
To see if it generate the same problems
This user have the .Xauthority file.\

# as root user
runuser -u TorUser2 -- /opt/tor-browser/start-tor-browser.desktop

return Launching ‘./Browser/start-tor-browser –detach…’
and ps -u TorUser2 return nothing…

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TorUser doesn’t have access to your current user’s display. You need to first give access using something like xauth or xhost.

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I think that’s the issue. It’s xhost + if I remember correctly.

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No, do not do that. This gives access to the display to anyone who can connect to it. The proper way is to give the user access to file whose path is in $XAUTHORITY.

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OP edited

Thank you @mina86@lemmy.wtf
I’ve look where point the $XAUTHORITY but it point to another user /home/<aUser>/.Xauthority
and to give access to the file I have to change also the permission on the parent folders… not to hot to do so…

I see also the TorUser do not have a file .Xauthority ! I’ve look how generate one for it, but I found no good documentation !
They show how do it once logged with TorUser ! but mine is not meant to be used to be login on the system..

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You can just copy the file and set XAUTHORITY as necessary. Just make sure only the desired user can read it.

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OP

I’ve try one guidance, but it didn’t worked.

I quit the xfce, login as root, did

echo $XAUTHORITY
#returned nothing

XAUTHORITY=/tmp/.Xauthority.tmp
xauth -f $XAUTHORITY generate :0 . trusted

and after few minute it returned

xauth: (argv):1 unable to open display :0
😢

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edited

Do you get a different result if you replace that :0 with your actual DISPLAY value?

Also make sure you run that in a context that does have access to the x server (i guess keep your display manager running as you do this).

Depending on your setup you should be running such commands as normal user instead of root.

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Deleted by author

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OP edited

I’m still stuck…
I wanted to report to issue to gitlab.torproject.org, to be able to do so, I had to create a account at https://anonticket.torproject.org/user/gitlab-account/create/

few days, and my account is still in “pending” f*ck !

Did someone manage to run tor-browser as another user ?

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I don’t use .desktop files that much… But I guess xfce is X and not wayland. Check the DISPLAY env var for your user and set the same in your script there or run the binary with that env var.

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OP

Thanks @mumblerfish@lemmy.world I did

runuser -u TorUser -- echo $DISPLAY and I have the same value as for my other user. :0.0

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