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Cybercrooks Increasingly Use Tor Network To Control Botnets
alphadogg writes "Malware writers are increasingly considering the Tor anonymity network as an option for hiding the real location of their command-and-control servers, according to researchers from security firm ESET. The researchers recently came across two botnet-type malware programs that use C&C servers operating as Tor 'hidden services.' The Tor Hidden Service protocol allows users to set up services — usually Web servers — that can only be accessed from within the Tor network through a random-looking hostname that ends in the .onion pseudo domain extension. The traffic between a Tor client and a Tor hidden service is encrypted and is randomly routed through a series of computers participating in the network and acting as relays."
Why haven't they been doing this for a long time already?
It is unwise to ascribe motive
In other news, bank robbers are increasingly wearing masks.
Some people die at 25 and aren't buried until 75. -Benjamin Franklin
Perfect anonymity is always a goal for hackers
Fear not Citizen. Glorious Leader Obummer will ban Tor and encryption so that the terrorists can never hurt you again. We now return you back to your regularly scheduled programming: American Idol.
Of course, you shouldn't blame Tor for this. I'm sure Freenet could equally be used, but Tor is just easy. Instead, blame the OS manufactures, and the owners of the bot-ridden machines. Seriously. It's your fault if you don't know enough about your car that you ignore the oil light and it seizes up on a highway. And it's your fault if your machine is turned into a cog of part of a greater machine, bending to the whims of some "hacker".
Maybe it's time to bring back computers with the OS stored in ROM, so that is is reset to a clean state every time the computer is restarted.
HELP MY ACCOUNT HAS BEEN HACKED BY AN ILLIBERAL ART STUDENT SET TO DESTROY THE INTERWEBZ!
how many times do we have to see this staged before enough people rise up to stop it?
Or is it only going to be when they try try to take Americas got talent?
As if the powers-that-be weren't already looking for excuses to criminalize Tor, shut it down, and arrest people involved with it, now it's a certainty. Between overtly oppresive governments wishing to further tighten their grip on their citizens, and the U.S. and other Western countries wanting to destroy every notion of privacy for it's citizens and spying on everyone, this is just the excuse they all need to start black-bagging Tor operators and users. Thanks so much, assholes, for further ruining the world for everyone.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Anonymity is a powerful force. In both directions. The anonymous writings of the late 18th century were every bit as powerful as a masked bandit.
I, for one, do not consider the risk of Tor to be greater than the benefit.
In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
There is nothing wrong with anonymity. The totalitarianists and fascists want you to believe your a terrorist if your anonymous. Seriously, why are you so scared of mankind?
the NSA already has access to roughly 50% of all the Tor nodes traffic ?
We should all be using Tor by default and deploying nodes as much as we can.
I have a suggestion instead. Build a tor like tool but mandate personal key exchange between known parties. This would strengthen the security of the service, and it would be possible to segment bad actors from people seeking true anonymity. If I welcome job drug dealer to my networks (say by monitoring edge transactions) I may decide to pull my permission for some key's nodes to connect to mine. Problems solved and we can burn out the pedo's, criminals, and all those nasty folks who's agenda's I disagree with.
Bye!
Remember, Citizen, the mere act of using Tor is reason enough to suggest that you could be doing something illegal which gives the police probable cause to send in a SWAT team. Anyone using Tor is a potential terrorist or paedophile otherwise they wouldn't have anything to hide. Welcome to the no-fly list.
I wondered why browsing over Tor had been getting so much faster lately. I guess these guys have at least some of their slaves set up as relays, in effect adding capacity to the network. Honestly not sure if I'm joking though because it almost makes sense.
The article found two examples of using Tor, and had already identified one from the past. That's the justification for the "increasingly using Tor" headline? Then again, I'm surprised that they didn't run with a headline of "Malware using Tor Doubled!"
Government goons illegally shut down valid communications via DNS and ISP's so if Anonymous decides to respond using similar tactics, it's fair play.
NSA originally funded Tor. Then there was some heavy involvement by the EFF. And now they get funding from numerous sources.
Those garbled nonsensical posts that are entirely surrounded in an anchor tag with href to goat.cx are commands for a certain botnet. They typically mention OpenBSD.
Source: I'm involved in one of the projects.
Isn't it kind of obvious that if you build something designed to try to make you anonymous that people will try to use that anonymity for shady reasons?
I'm not saying we shouldn't have anonymous data, but I don't think this observation is exactly new -- I've always assumed this was the case with Tor.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
TOR was designed by and for the CIA, they use it to communicate with field operatives in foreign countries without being tracked by enemy agents. Our government isn't going to touch it, if anything they keep funding it to make it more anonymous. For example, when Iranians started blocking TOR traffic, they developed a protocol that looks like human chitchat but is really serialized data to fool the network censors.
Infiltrate, & "seek and destroy" by setting up their own TOR exit nodes HUGELY for surface area coverage. That will "net" them all the "wrongdoers" (however, with a lot of innocents - "oh well, collateral damage" we can sort out later, even if it messes up decent folks). "The situation must be contained". Still - Think about it ("channel your inner criminal" folks): Were you they, what would YOU do? When you start seeing a lot of your 'endpoints' terminating in the Virginia/DC area (For starters), lol, you'll know the 'farmboys' are ALL over it. They'll "get smart" on that too - with their datacenters + fusion centers all over the place http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/07/25/1610208/us-government-data-center-count-rises-to-7000 so you're dumb if you think those boys in the NSA & such haven't "figured it out" how to outfox it boys. They hire the BEST OF YOU with the right "psychological profile" (fortunately shaving out some of the 'best' IF there is such a thing, since I think it's all relative and nobody 'knows it all' in a field as varied & complex as computing telecommunications) , to use them against you - it's the "classic move" of incompetent unqualified mgt. the world over. Face facts. It IS how it works. Their heads/supervisors/mgt. don't NEED to know how it works or is done (which I feel breeds stupidity + BAD decisions in any company when the head doesn't know what the ass is doing or HOW it does it, and I've seen too much of it over a fairly successful 20++ yr. career in computing professionally) - they hire someone who does. Unfortunately, what is their 1 weakness? They get "infiltrated" too! That's what they overlook with unqualified mgt. who don't KNOW the field themselves (and any business does). Look @ Edward Snowden, William Binney, + Thomas Drake as "classic examples thereof". Folks, no matter how much of the "Holy Dollar" you pay them, ultimately answer to their consciences. To stay sane, if they can't handle they feel they're being "axeman" for wrongdoer masters, WILL turn on them. Look to the gents above. I *think* that there's going to be a lot more of folks like that popping out of their network's woodwork too in the future. Call it a "hunch". NOW - Do I agree with their current "spy network"? Absolutely not. Too many lies to Congress, secret courts, rules & law changes, IRS scandal targetting opponents of the current regime along with MIAC as well, etc./et al! Imo? It's TOO MUCH POWER for any 1 man or group, with too little efficacy/ROI/cost-benefit ratio in return, and has too much potential for "absolute power corrupting absolutely" abuse & it certainly didn't stop the Boston Bomber as an example of inefficacy (since that and their enmasse intercept of US citizenry telecommunique's been big news and yes, pissed me off too like it has everyone else who is NOT "part of the 'good ole boy network' getting fat, rich & happy by being "part of the team"). However, you can BANK on that being their next move, probably already in motion, vs. TOR users. What surprises me, is that their "think tanks" & "advisors" haven't advised them to "stop reacting" (putting up cameras everywhere, DHS buying up 450 million rounds of ammo, FEMA camps etc. - those tell ME @ least, they're 'prepping; for potential revolt actually). It tends to give a game away as well as true motivations, and WHO is really behind the curtain too. When I saw Gen. Alexander & Obama BOTH rush to defend vs. defunding the NSA yesterday, Obama even issuing an "emergency notice" vs. it? Well, lol, come on "projecting" or what... imo? It gave me a pretty good idea who was behind what. Same with the IRS scandal, MIAC scandal, and more too. Those boys are outta control, and need to be 'reined in'. IF they're up to no good, they're just men & perhaps it's just the temptation of potential domination by fear that's making them thus or perhaps they feel they're 'smart enough' to run