Large botnet cause of recent Tor network overload
blog.fox-it.com
Large botnet cause of recent Tor network overload
1–10 of 17 posts
Re: Large botnet cause of recent Tor network overload
#2Could the anonymity of tor users be compromized by these presumed bots ? As for bitcoin which could be subverted if one users holds more than 50% of the bitcoins.
Re: Large botnet cause of recent Tor network overload
#3Could the anonymity of tor users be compromized by these presumed bots ? As for bitcoin which could be subverted if one users holds more than 50% of the bitcoins.
I don't think so. It looks like these bots are connecting as users, not nodes. It might be possible to use these bots to increase/control the load on tor which may be able to facilitate an attack based on controlling a significant amount of nodes.
Re: Large botnet cause of recent Tor network overload
#4Could the anonymity of tor users be compromized by these presumed bots ? As for bitcoin which could be subverted if one users holds more than 50% of the bitcoins.
Is there any commercial logic to hacking tor, though?
Re: Large botnet cause of recent Tor network overload
#5Could the anonymity of tor users be compromized by these presumed bots ? As for bitcoin which could be subverted if one users holds more than 50% of the bitcoins.
Is there any commercial logic to hacking tor, though?
They are connecting as users -- it's more than likely that the only thing that is to be gained is a fully anonymous non-takedownable C&C
Re: Large botnet cause of recent Tor network overload
#6I wonder if it is conceivable that a government agency that wouldn't like what Tor offers, could reduce Tor's attractiveness by bombing it from a botnet, much like what they've done by arresting people who host a tor node for traffic that runs across it.
With that said, I accept that this is much less likely explanation than just some Russian group just using it to facilitate their usual crime.
Re: Large botnet cause of recent Tor network overload
#7I wonder if it is conceivable that a government agency that wouldn't like what Tor offers, could reduce Tor's attractiveness by bombing it from a botnet, much like what they've done by arresting people who host a tor node for traffic that runs across it. With that said, I accept that this is much less likely explanation than just some Russian group just using it to facilitate their usual crime.
So far the new users are showing little activity (according to the article), so that seems unlikely.
Re: Large botnet cause of recent Tor network overload
#8> Typically, it is fairly clear what the purpose of malware is, such as banking, clickfraud, ransomware or fake anti-virus malware. In this case however it is a bit more difficult.
I think the article answers its own question the paragraph previous:
> While some bots continue to operate using the standard HTTP connectivity, some versions of the malware use a peer-to-peer network to communicate (KAD based).
Tor and Kademlia are both rather complex systems. To use one or the other, but not both, in different versions of your botnet, would suggest to me that this is a botnet creator split-testing the effectiveness and scalability of different command-and-control technologies.
Re: Large botnet cause of recent Tor network overload
#9Could the anonymity of tor users be compromized by these presumed bots ? As for bitcoin which could be subverted if one users holds more than 50% of the bitcoins.
Most likely not. If the bots were to suddenly turn into nodes, then there is a good chance that a large percentage of users could have their anonymity compromised.
Tor anonymity relies on the fact it is difficult to tie in where you entered the system, and where you exited the system. If someone where to control a large amount of nodes, they could (in theory) tie a large amount identities together. But this requires a large amount of entry and exit nodes.
Re: Large botnet cause of recent Tor network overload
#10> Typically, it is fairly clear what the purpose of malware is, such as banking, clickfraud, ransomware or fake anti-virus malware. In this case however it is a bit more difficult. I think the article answers its own question the paragraph previous: > While some bots continue to operate using the standard HTTP connectivity, some versions of the malware use a peer-to-peer network to communicate (KAD based). Tor and Ka…
Even criminals need to do A/B testing!