Libertas Market Relocates from Tor to I2P

In May 2019, law enforcement agencies shut down several major darknet platforms and websites indirectly linked to illegal activities. Notably, the large marketplaces Wall Street Market and Valhalla were taken offline, the darknet news and onion link directory DeepDotWeb was closed, and the well-known cryptocurrency mixing service Bestmixer.io also ceased operations.

This surge in law enforcement activity has naturally increased tension within the criminal community, and the first consequences are now being reported by ZDNet. This week, the Libertas Market marketplace decided to move from Tor to I2P. The marketplace administrators stated that Tor has too many drawbacks, including security issues and the inability to defend against DDoS attacks. They also mentioned an unconfirmed vulnerability in Tor that allegedly allows law enforcement to determine the real IP addresses of onion sites.

DDoS Attacks and the Black Market

It’s worth noting that DDoS attacks with ransom demands are a significant problem in the black market. For example, earlier this year, the major marketplace Dream Market shut down, with its administrators citing DDoS attacks as one of the main reasons for the closure. At the time, it was reported that attackers demanded a $400,000 ransom from the marketplace operators to stop the DDoS attacks, but the operators refused to pay.

ZDNet journalists note that users of other Tor sites are urging administrators to consider similar precautions and migrate to I2P. On Dread (a shadow version of Reddit), there are numerous threads with such requests, including those concerning well-known resources like Dream Market, Wall Street Market, Cryptonia, and Empire Market.

Previous Waves of Panic and I2P Migration

A similar wave of panic in the cybercriminal community was observed in 2017 after the closure of AlphaBay, Hansa Market, and RAMP. At that time, some platforms also attempted to migrate to I2P (as well as to Telegram or Discord), but these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. The main issue with I2P—its complicated installation and configuration—remains unresolved, which is why there has not been a mass exodus of marketplaces and other services from Tor.

Bitcoin Blender Shuts Down

Speaking of panic in the cybercriminal world, it’s also worth mentioning the sudden closure of the Bitcoin Blender mixing service, which also happened this week. The cryptocurrency service, which had been operating since 2014, unexpectedly announced a complete shutdown. However, the operators gave users time to withdraw their funds, for which Bitcoin Blender clients expressed their gratitude, judging by discussions on BitCoin Talk and other forums.