An Anonymous hacker has taken down more than 10,000 Tor-based websites after targeting a hosting company, The Verge reports.
The hacker compromised the servers of Freedom Hosting II, a dark web hosting provider which hosted many websites accessible through Tor.
Freedom Hosting II reportedly ran up to 20% of all dark web sites, from bitcoin scams to web forums.
Speaking to Motherboard, the Anonymous-affiliated hacker explained how they took down the hosting provider.
“This is in fact my first hack ever, I just had the right idea,” said the hacker.
The hacker initially gained read access to the provider’s database and did not delete or edit files.
However, after finding that Freedom Hosting II was reportedly aware of several child pornography websites it provided services to, the hacker proceeded to attack and compromise the service.
After the service was compromised, users attempting to access websites hosted by Freedom Hosting II were greeted with a message left by the hacker detailing the extent of the attack and how they compromised the service.
This article first appeared on MyBroadband and is republished with permission.
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