[tor-bugs] #32670 [Core Tor/Tor]: Provide higher resolution callback timers

[Tor Bug Tracker & Wiki]

#32670: Provide higher resolution callback timers
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     Reporter:  mikeperry   |      Owner:  (none)
         Type:              |     Status:  new
  enhancement               |
     Priority:  Medium      |  Milestone:  Tor: unspecified
    Component:  Core        |    Version:
  Tor/Tor                   |
     Severity:  Normal      |   Keywords:  wtf-pad circpad-researchers-want
Actual Points:              |  Parent ID:
       Points:              |   Reviewer:
      Sponsor:              |
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 During testing, I noticed that the timers.c callbacks could be up to 10
 milliseconds late on an otherwise idle Linux laptop tor client. They might
 be even later on busy relays.

 Circuit fingerprinting results may be impacted by this delay. If a deep
 learning classifier is able to determine padding cells through recognizing
 this delay, padding will entirely ineffective.

 It would be nice to have either high priority timers for things like this,
 or at least better idle resolution.

 We do not yet have enough results to say with certainty if high accuracy
 padding timers are more important for clients, or for relays.

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/32670>
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