Devlogs & Market Updates

Over the past week, the Tor network has experienced a significant Layer 7 attack targeting major hidden services, including Torzon, Dread, and Archetyp. We want to be transparent about how this affects your connectivity and what we have done to mitigate it.

Understanding the Attack Vector

The attackers are using a sophisticated botnet to flood our entry nodes with "junk" circuit creation requests. This causes the "502 Bad Gateway" or "Timed Out" errors you might have seen. This is not a hack; your funds and data are safe. It is purely a traffic jam.

The Solution: V4 Guard Nodes

We have successfully deployed our proprietary V4 Anti-DDoS Filtering system. Here is what has changed:

• End-of-Circuit Pow: We have introduced a lightweight Proof-of-Work (PoW) challenge that occurs before the page loads. This filters out 99% of bots that cannot solve the mathematical puzzle efficiently.
• Mirror Rotation: Our mirror list is now dynamic. If a specific Onion URL is under heavy load, it is automatically cycled out of the main rotation.
• Captcha Update: We have adjusted the visual captcha difficulty. It is now easier for humans to read but harder for OCR (Optical Character Recognition) bots to solve.

To maintain Torzon's reputation as the safest marketplace, we are updating our vendor onboarding requirements. Effective March 1st, the standard Vendor Bond will increase from $300 to $750 (payable in XMR/BTC).

Why the increase?

Low entry barriers attract low-quality sellers and "exit scammers"—vendors who build a small reputation and then steal funds on a large order. By raising the bond, we ensure that only serious, professional merchants set up shop on Torzon.

Exceptions & Waivers

We understand this is a high fee for new sellers. We offer a Bond Waiver Program for established vendors migrating from other markets:

• Proof of Reputation: You must provide a PGP-signed message from your profile on another recognized market (e.g., Dread, Recon).
• Minimum Stats: At least 100+ sales and 4.8/5 rating on the external platform.
• No FE Privileges: Waived vendors will not be eligible for Finalize Early (FE) status until they complete 50 orders on Torzon.

This policy protects buyers by filtering out opportunistic scammers while welcoming proven professionals.

Privacy is not optional. Following the recent blockchain analysis breakthroughs by companies like Chainalysis, using Bitcoin (BTC) for darknet purchases has become a significant liability. The public ledger reveals too much.

The Push for XMR-Only

While Torzon still supports Bitcoin for convenience, we are aggressively incentivizing the use of Monero (XMR). XMR transactions are obfuscated by default using Ring Signatures and Stealth Addresses.

• Lower Fees: XMR withdrawal fees on Torzon have been slashed to near-zero (network cost only).
• Faster Escrow: XMR disputes are resolved faster because we do not need to wait for heavy blockchain confirmations.
• Mixing: We have integrated an internal "Churn" mechanism for Monero. When you deposit XMR, it is automatically moved through internal subaddresses before hitting your balance, breaking any potential timing analysis linkage.

We have detected a massive phishing campaign on the clearweb (Google, Reddit) and Telegram. Scammers are buying ads for terms like "Torzon Link" or "Torzon URL".

Identified Phishing Vectors

Do NOT trust any link ending in .top, .link, or .site. These are "Onion.pet" proxies that perform a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack. They proxy the real site but capture your username, password, and mnemonic seed.

Signs you are on a phishing site:

• The captcha is missing or looks different.
• The PGP key provided for 2FA does not match your saved key.
• You are asked for your Mnemonic Seed immediately upon login (We NEVER ask for this unless you are resetting a password).
• The deposit address changes every time you refresh the page (Phishers script this to steal coins).

Stay safe. Only use Tor Browser. Verify the URL matches the signed mirrors list.