Nearly half of the 'deep web' goes dark following child porn bust

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,253   +192
Staff member

You may not know it but there is a whole other side of the Internet that exists where users are able to surf anonymously. Known by some as the “deep web,” it’s a network primarily used to peddle illegal drugs and child pornography but over the weekend, nearly half of the sites on the Tor (short for “the onion router”) network went dark.

The Tor network works by routing traffic through randomly-selected computers in the Tor network. This method can be used by those surfing the network as well as those hosting sites to hide the location of their servers.

Freedom Hosting is the largest host used by secret sites on deep web. Eric Eoin Marques, the person believed to be behind the hosting company, was arrested in Ireland late last week and is awaiting extradition to the US over child pornography charges.

A few days later, a piece of malware was loaded onto all sites hosted by Freedom Hosting. The malicious software was designed to gather and send identifying information to an IP address in Reston, Virginia. It exploited a critical memory management hole found in many dated versions of Firefox.

According to reverse-engineer Vlad Tsrklevich and a number of others, either the FBI or some other law enforcement agency is responsible for the malware in an attempt to identify those using the network. Using the network itself isn't illegal as it is used by some human rights groups and even journalists wishing to remain anonymous but those using it to distribute and collect child abuse material could be in trouble. The FBI press office declined to comment when asked about their involvement with the malware.

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I thought that Anonymous had already taken Freedom Hosting down for hosting CP? In any event, I'm glad to see someone is actually cracking down on some of the activities that go on in the "deep web". I'm a bit surprised it's taken them this long to breach the network though. I had figured the highly illegal parts of the Tor network were fed/law enforcement harvesting grounds.
 
Disappointed that they're cracking down on child pornographers, pedophiles and other scum? I can't wait to hear the supporting argument for this.
 
Disappointed that they're cracking down on child pornographers, pedophiles and other scum? I can't wait to hear the supporting argument for this.
No, he just said Tor. Do all people that use that service fit in one or more of your categories?

They only busted one guy and took down a few sites of illegal material. What impact do you think taking that one guy off the web for a while is? How long until those sites are back up? Do you think disrupting Tor is worth that insignificant bust?
 
No, he just said Tor. Do all people that use that service fit in one or more of your categories?

They only busted one guy and took down a few sites of illegal material. What impact do you think taking that one guy off the web for a while is? How long until those sites are back up? Do you think disrupting Tor is worth that insignificant bust?

1. The article specifically states that Freedom Hosting websites and its users were targeted, not the entire Tor network. The OP's comment paints the Freedom Hosting bust as a crackdown on the larger network; I responded appropriately.

2. Freedom Hosting is hardly an "insignificant bust", as they are well known to have one of the largest CP databases (by virtue of hosting applicable .onion sites) on the web. So the impact is, in reality, quite significant and would remain significant even if they only took down 10MB of content.

3. The Tor network has not been disrupted. Freedom Hosting has been disrupted as well as the activities the service facilitated. If legitimate interests were caught in the crossfire that's the fault of FH for not purging the child pornographers from their servers. The FBI, however, has done their job.

4. If only one child pornographer gets jailed at the expense of Tor's reputation, it's worth the hassle.
 
Insignificant? Anonymous had estimated around 90% of all child abuse and porn on the Tor network was through freedom hosting, and the FBI called the owner the largest distributor of child abuse and porn in the world. That's pretty significant if you ask me.
 
The
1. The article specifically states that Freedom Hosting websites and its users were targeted, not the entire Tor network. The OP's comment paints the Freedom Hosting bust as a crackdown on the larger network; I responded appropriately.



2. Freedom Hosting is hardly an "insignificant bust", as they are well known to have one of the largest CP databases (by virtue of hosting applicable .onion sites) on the web. So the impact is, in reality, quite significant and would remain significant even if they only took down 10MB of content.



3. The Tor network has not been disrupted. Freedom Hosting has been disrupted as well as the activities the service facilitated. If legitimate interests were caught in the crossfire that's the fault of FH for not purging the child pornographers from their servers. The FBI, however, has done their job.



4. If only one child pornographer gets jailed at the expense of Tor's reputation, it's worth the hassle.

It's not as significant as you make it sound like. Freedom Hosting just hosts the domain and DNS, not the actual CP files, all they have to do is re-host. Hosts are not responsible for what clients use their services for, so IMO they're as much as a victim as anyone else (like Tor's reputation tarnishing). It may be one of the largest hosts for CP (hosts more than any other INDIVIDUAL CP host), but that doesn't mean much.

Pirate sites such as The Pirate Bay had their hosting severs seized multiple times, but it only takes them a matter of hours to come back online, they just had to use hosts in other countries like Sint Marteen as they are now using. Many of the persons behind them have been arrested, convicted, deceased; TPB flourishing as it has ever been.

The damage that will result on this for the internet in general is that it justifies the authorities use of malware to accomplish these 'investigations'. The particular malware that was used (if all this turns to be true in the first place) was indiscriminate on what computers it affected, so now the feds are using are exactly the same that are used as malevolent hackers which are being persecuted by them again. Now knowing how insignificant this entire thing is despite of its 'symbolic' meaning, the implications that is has upon the rest of the web and the furthering fed's agenda is not worth it all, because nothing has really changed for the long or even mid term.
 
Insignificant? Anonymous had estimated around 90% of all child abuse and porn on the Tor network was through freedom hosting, and the FBI called the owner the largest distributor of child abuse and porn in the world. That's pretty significant if you ask me.


Anonymous' estimations are to be taken with a grain of salt. They're not exactly a reputable source of information, and their agenda and cause are highly questionable.
 
It is child abuse or child exploitation not porn. No child would consent to what was happening to them even if they understood that...
 
'Insignificant? Anonymous had estimated around 90% of all child abuse and porn on the Tor network was through freedom hosting, and the FBI called the owner the largest distributor of child abuse and porn in the world. That's pretty significant if you ask me.
Anonymous' estimations are to be taken with a grain of salt. They're not exactly a reputable source of information, and their agenda and cause are highly questionable.'

wow, that's a bit underhanded there. interesting considering that Anonymous consists of mostly elite computer people. They know most of everything there is to know about the internet, seeing as that is what they make it their personal business to do. they spend most of their lives and days getting all of their information and watching over us all. think of them as a public vigilante group, they do justice for the world, they bring attention to things that usually go unnoticed, and to the best of their abilities they bring to justice many different crimes, trying to ensure the internet as a safer place for all of us. you should thank them really, because the internet would be very badly off without them. you realize, almost everything in our current, present day, runs on computers. Anonymous works very hard to keep it running. I guarantee you most of Anonymous consists of people who run these computers that manage everything about our lives (which is probably why they know so much about computers). they aren't just random computer geeks who sit around their parents homes all day and play computer games. they have normal live like the rest of us, they're most likely our scientists, secretaries, etc. Sure, maybe not ALL of Anonymous is good. some of them go under its name, to give them a bad reputation and fill our computerized world with many complications(malware/the bad kind of hacking.) However, for the most part Anonymous works for all of us to keep our live functional and happy.they should be treated with decency. and really, do you think the government would care enough to use malware for the benefit of their people? pfft. of course they didn't comment when they were questioned about it, because I bet you they didn't do it. it was most likely Anonymous who released the virus to get those people arrested for child pornography. anyone who wasn't doing something wrong, shouldn't have anything to worry about.
 
*Anonymous' estimations are to be taken with a grain of salt. They're not exactly a reputable source of information, and their agenda and cause are highly questionable.*


Really? Because the information they gather is at least accurately shown to us unlike big news site that are clearly biased and bought out not to release *Sensitive* information that the public doesn't need to know -.-
 
It's not as significant as you make it sound like. Freedom Hosting just hosts the domain and DNS, not the actual CP files, all they have to do is re-host. Hosts are not responsible for what clients use their services for, so IMO they're as much as a victim as anyone else (like Tor's reputation tarnishing).

The attitude that hosts are not responsible for what their clients use their services for is antiquated and used as a shield for companies to make money from the hosting of illegal material.
 
It's not as significant as you make it sound like. Freedom Hosting just hosts the domain and DNS, not the actual CP files, all they have to do is re-host. Hosts are not responsible for what clients use their services for, so IMO they're as much as a victim as anyone else (like Tor's reputation tarnishing).

The attitude that hosts are not responsible for what their clients use their services for is antiquated and used as a shield for companies to make money from the hosting of illegal material.

To expect a host provider to check what their clients use is absurd. These people have thousands/millions of accounts, can you honestly expect them to check them all? Web hosting is allot like renting a flat, the owner is not responsible for the **** the tenant gets up to.

People who don't realise these things, and don't understand how the internet works needs to get out of the conversation.
 
This is a great thread, jllouis1 drops some knowledge for you n00bs. Holding hosting companies responsible for what their customers get up to is like blaming gun manufacturers for what people do with their guns.
 
It's not as significant as you make it sound like. Freedom Hosting just hosts the domain and DNS, not the actual CP files, all they have to do is re-host. Hosts are not responsible for what clients use their services for, so IMO they're as much as a victim as anyone else (like Tor's reputation tarnishing). It may be one of the largest hosts for CP (hosts more than any other INDIVIDUAL CP host), but that doesn't mean much.


Wrong. Both web hosts and ISPs can be held liable for the actions of their clients (secondary liability) if they knowingly facilitate, or profit from, the distribution of infringing (illegal) material. You may feel they are the victim, but case law for both copyright infringement and child pornography are firmly against you.

Pirate sites such as The Pirate Bay had their hosting severs seized multiple times, but it only takes them a matter of hours to come back online, they just had to use hosts in other countries like Sint Marteen as they are now using. Many of the persons behind them have been arrested, convicted, deceased; TPB flourishing as it has ever been.


That a new head will materialize after an older one is severed is hardly a justification for inaction. According to this line of reasoning, law enforcement should just sit on their hands because it's a futile effort. CP will always be on the Internet, why try to stop it?

The significance of the bust is that it has disrupted one of the largest known CP ecosystems on the web, forcing its participants to do their business elsewhere and substantially increasing the risk to those who would host such content moving forward. The net effect of this is not the end of CP, but rather the mitigation of future exchanges.

The damage that will result on this for the internet in general is that it justifies the authorities use of malware to accomplish these 'investigations'. The particular malware that was used (if all this turns to be true in the first place) was indiscriminate on what computers it affected, so now the feds are using are exactly the same that are used as malevolent hackers which are being persecuted by them again. Now knowing how insignificant this entire thing is despite of its 'symbolic' meaning, the implications that is has upon the rest of the web and the furthering fed's agenda is not worth it all, because nothing has really changed for the long or even mid term.

Firstly, the malware only targeted users of Freedom Hosting websites and services. This, by its very nature, is not indiscriminate as it targets a very specific group of people -- those who patronize Freedom Hosting. Secondly, there are no implications for the broader web as this is hardly the first time the feds have used malware to track down suspects. Rather, it's further confirmation of what is already a well established fact: anonymity on the Internet is little more than a game of cat and mouse. This time, the cat got the mouse.
 
Whoever thinks Anonymous is "Looking out for you" has serious sociological confusion. A Vigilante does not break the law and bring down entire companies because they disagree with each other. They are also not law enforcement for christ sake, and have no right to push THEIR moral view of how the internet should be used and how people should conduct their lives. I am very willing to bet that the people of Anonymous would get very angry if their tacticts were used against them, that would be "wrong" and "abusive" of others to act as they do...

Do not get caught up in the rule of MAN, and let the rule of LAW go undifined.
 
Anonymous includes the Feds, if it is not their creation in the first place. So did they take it down? Well, here we see the results, and some of the real players behind the masks...
 
Guest said: "Do not get caught up in the rule of MAN, and let the rule of LAW go undifined."

And who do you think makes the rule of LAW? it's the guys with the biggest guns, the strongest army, the scariest afterlife, the psycopaths with little or no empathy. Might is right for these people, they are the ones that make the LAWS to further their own interests. We little people just pay and serve.
 
Guest said: "Do not get caught up in the rule of MAN, and let the rule of LAW go undifined."

And who do you think makes the rule of LAW? it's the guys with the biggest guns, the strongest army, the scariest afterlife, the psycopaths with little or no empathy. Might is right for these people, they are the ones that make the LAWS to further their own interests. We little people just pay and serve.

Very true my friend the people with all the money make the rules.

And human greed has no limit.
 
LOL, please spare us..their methods & actions have been/are dictated by the unconstitutional methods & actions of their adversaries.

truth
 
"wow, that's a bit underhanded there. interesting considering that Anonymous consists of mostly elite computer people. They know most of everything there is to know about the internet, seeing as that is what they make it their personal business to do. they spend most of their lives and days getting all of their information and watching over us all. think of them as a public vigilante group, they do justice for the world, they bring attention to things that usually go unnoticed, and to the best of their abilities they bring to justice many different crimes, trying to ensure the internet as a safer place for all of us. you should thank them really, because the internet would be very badly off without them. you realize, almost everything in our current, present day, runs on computers. Anonymous works very hard to keep it running. I guarantee you most of Anonymous consists of people who run these computers that manage everything about our lives (which is probably why they know so much about computers). they aren't just random computer geeks who sit around their parents homes all day and play computer games. they have normal live like the rest of us, they're most likely our scientists, secretaries, etc. Sure, maybe not ALL of Anonymous is good. some of them go under its name, to give them a bad reputation and fill our computerized world with many complications(malware/the bad kind of hacking.) However, for the most part Anonymous works for all of us to keep our live functional and happy.they should be treated with decency. and really, do you think the government would care enough to use malware for the benefit of their people? pfft. of course they didn't comment when they were questioned about it, because I bet you they didn't do it. it was most likely Anonymous who released the virus to get those people arrested for child pornography. anyone who wasn't doing something wrong, shouldn't have anything to worry about."

you_were_serious_let_me_laugh_some_more.gif
 
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