Operation Onymous: 17 Arrested and Seized $1M Bitcoins and 414 Tor Domains

FBI, DHS and Europol started “Operation Onymous” yesterday. They seized Silk Road 2.0 along with 414 .onion domains that wee used by Tor. They also arrested 17 people and captured black money worth $1 million bitcoins.

Cyber bullying and other crimes related to the internet are in news but recently cyber crimes have taken another form. The vast notorious network operates in a concealed way to make the illegal dealings possible.

Silk Road 2.0 and many other sites are linked to some amerceable activities and are charged of the crime of selling drugs and weapons online through TOR. The recent raid to curtail the progress of these sites has managed to arrest the master mind Blake Benthall and many others.

The arrest is not limited to this but it also includes the 20 year old boy from Liverpool, a 30 year old man from Cleethropes and a 19 year old lad from New Waltham. One can imagine the vastness of this crime and it has developed its roots in the youth too. This did not only destroy the lives of young people but has spread its roots to many countries.

The operation took place in many European countries. Tor has become a trademark for illegal activities and has become active among the masses. It is not only a market for trading of weapons but it also deals in drugs, child abuse images and it also works for the extremist groups. TOR was initially created by the US intelligence to assist in the operations but gradually it became a hub for outlawed activities. 

Before this operation it was assumed that shutting down one hub will do no good but it will encourage others to fill the gap. This bigger operation has showed that the authorities have found other clever tactics to overpower or completely shut down such prohibited acts. But the investigation shows that they have shut down 400 sites and have managed to arrest only 16 alleged. So much work is yet to be done.

Prof Alan Woodward is a security consultant, he said that the operation has proved that there is prosper future for fighting against the cyber crimes. He said “Tor has long been considered beyond the reach of law enforcement. This action proves that it is neither invisible nor untouchable”

What is TOR? TOR is an acronym for The Onion Router. The name suggests that just like an onion that has many layers likewise TOR has many encryptions. It was created by US Naval Research Laboratory. It hides the location and identity of a person using nodes which means using computer servers as connection points.

The complexity of TOR makes it almost impossible to relate any illegal activity to a particular person. The person who initiates any illegal activity is not held responsible in the end because the last computer in the chain known as “relay exit” is held accused. 

It operates in a way that the person responsible is hidden and the innocent becomes the target. The US police should be appreciated for their efforts to locate the criminals and curtail the progress in order to avoid any sort of mishap. 

Be careful while surfing, any sort of carelessness can lead to any danger. 

Source: BBC , Wired