Agora to pause operations.

Agora to pause operations

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA512

Recently research had come that shed some light on vulnerabilities in Tor Hidden Services protocol which could help to deanonymize server locations. Most of the new and previously known methods do require substantial resources to be executed, but the new research shows that the amount of resources could be much lower than expected, and in our case we do believe we have interested parties who possess such resources.

We have a solution in the works which will require big changes into our software stack which we believe will mitigate such problems, but unfortunately it will take time to implement. Additionally, we have recently been discovering suspicious activity around our servers which led us to believe that some of the attacks described in the research could be going on and we decided to move servers once again, however this is only a temporary solution.

At this point, while we don't have a solution ready it would be unsafe to keep our users using the service, since they would be in jeopardy. Thus, and to our great sadness we have to take the market offline for a while, until we can develop a better solution. This is the best course of action for everyone involved.

In the mean time we shall do our best to clear all outstanding orders and we ask all of you users who have money on their accounts, withdraw them as soon as possible, because we don't want to be responsible for it during the time when the market will be offline.

During this time, there might be some delays in payouts, since many people are expected to withdraw money at the same time, but we intend to resolve any such issues in the end. But we advice you to use only destination bitcoin addresses that do not expire when you send money out from Agora, as the payments to them might get delayed.

While the market is offline, do not send any bitcoin to any of your deposit addresses on Agora. We do not gurantee the safety of any funds sent there.

Vendors, we strongly advice you to abort any orders that haven't been sent out or processed yet, as we cannot gurantee what will happen with the orders in resolution. We shall try to resolve it on a case-by-case basis, but there might not be time to wait for orders that require long shipping times.

We are going to handle the situation with the vendor bonds soon, we need some time to make sure that noone uses this as an opportunity to start scamming wildly.

All of the market data will be kept intact and be available upon return, including all of the user history and profile data.

Since our PGP key is nearing expiration date, here is a new PGP key which could be used to check authenticity of our messages in the future.

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Comments


[262 Points] william_junior:

Well, guess this is what I call a professional approach to business.


[89 Points] hdheuud:

I was logged in when they posted the message. My withdrawal came in already. And it wasn't small. I'm amazed the guys were honest til the end. Thank you for the amazing service Agora


[61 Points] Vendor_BBMC:

This is very honorable of agora's owner.

But keep your fingers crossed for him. Because, reading between the lines, he must feel like his door is about to come crashing in at any moment.

It would be safer for him to just switch the server off without explanation, take the bitcoin for return if / when he comes back, steal them, or just leave them in whatever address on the blockchain they happen to be in when the tumbler was stopped.

Marketplace owners all read reddit. If you're reading this Johnny, don't worry about the vendor bond. Just get yourself (and that pandora's box full of all our sins) safe.

If you've retired, good luck. You can always power up in a year's time andf give us our deposit back. Or just send it through bitcoinfog to the last address we withdrew to.

Start packing a suitcase, put the server backups in it, buy a new android and a train ticket to the seaside with cash, and be shutting down the server as you're putting your shoes on.

You got away with it, and we're actually happy for you. Feels good, doesn't it?

Go already!


[31 Points] Serendeepity666:

Haha, Agora actually did it.

It fits their style. If you never come back, thanks for the service and enjoy your millions.


[28 Points] STB_KING:

ALL HAIL AGORA

Best market on the web. Professional and they have our backs. Alot of FUD is spread here but I believe they have customers in their best interests.

Thanks guys!!!!


[27 Points] letuseathrowaway:

Anyone an idea what this 'new vulnerability' is?


[22 Points] Vendor_BBMC:

Oh my God. I never thought I would ever get a vendor bond back!

Ever.

Agora got busy after Feb 13th last year, when Silk Road 2 stole their own escrow. Before that, Johnny Tightlips used to shoot the breeze if you messaged support.

I spoke to him (in writing) on bitcoinfog support as well as on agora. I realise he is probably American, but I couldn't shake the feeling I was talking to a British guy. Its very difficult to tell unless you say "math", "color", "trash" or "aluminum" because US English is virtually indistinguishable. Its easier to understand a yank than somebody from Glasgow.

One of the things we discussed was pre-announcing his retirement. He liked the idea, but it seemed like a hundred years away. I said "when you've been at it for 4 months you will be tempted to scam everyone just to get a day off. Somebody is always getting scammed in some timezone in some language. You'll get blackmailed, DDos'ed, investigated, accused of being somebody else, and you won't like the look of that pizza van parked across the street" or words to that effect.

He must feel a hundred years old now.

Maybe he's retiring, but not quite sure. he will be living in very moderate accomodation, has never had a chance to spend his bitcoin on anything but servers and a load balancer, and probably doesn't speak to another human for days at a time except for buying milk at the shop.

He will go on holiday, see his facebook friends in real life, be bored for a week reading reddit, then probably decide to "un-retire" after whoever is getting busted this September gets busted.

Maybe Agora will be out of "beta"!

We don't even have a "backcopy"-style pseudonym for him, but I've always called him "Johnny tightlips".

He's one of the greatest heroes in the history of the darknet, and i'm curious about him. But I also hope I never learn another thing about him. Most marketplace owners end up getting chased through the blockchain, but I would actually hide him in my house if he needed to do a runner. That's the respect I have for the guy.

Cash, clothes, my driving license - they're all here for him. no questions asked. He can watch the meth refuxing while I go out to get the milk.

Good luck Sir. Thank you for keeping your promise.


[21 Points] theyllnevercatchme8:

So what's the next best market fellas? I moved away from nucleus because of the numerous sketchy posts about them. Obviously we all know what happened to Black Bank.

Also, how long do you guys think Agora will be down for? This seems like it's going to a month+ type deal.


[22 Points] drimilr:

kudos for being as transparent as they can be. hopefully they will post a offline date shortly.

i haven't used agora in months but i always took them to be the most honest and safest market, regardless of all their downtime.

upon their return, i hope they expound on what tor vulnerabilites they were referring that caused to cease ops. and ideally share their solution with the community as long as it doesn't compromise their servers.


[16 Points] free-agent:

Exit Scam! I knew it!


[10 Points] CosmoKev:

Between agora going offline, TOR vulnerabilities, new Bitcoin softwares, the increase in vendor scams and (now) limited markets, this is indeed dark times for our darknet markets.


[13 Points] TheTonik:

Mark my words guys: Agora is not coming back from this.


[11 Points] druggedupnigga:

well shieeet just put in my withdrawl

was just about to order up. glad they put that up. going to stop at abraxas and dhl for time being. i have been doing dd w some vendors so i'll stick with the proven ones.


[7 Points] Jay-__:

Let's see if other markets will follow or if they're rather ignorant about it.


[6 Points] select1on:

wow - props for being honest. I hope it isn't for too long as there aren't many markets out there with the same level of commitment. Agora man, class act.


[5 Points] None:

[deleted]


[7 Points] toaster977:

Did anyone actually GET their withdrawal? I was gonna buy some bud but when I saw the notice I cashed out right away, and it said "withdrawn successfully", but it's been hours and still nothing.


[6 Points] gwernisthenewpine:

Kinda feels like they just informed the passengers of the Titanic that there's been a breach in the hull due to collision with an iceberg.


[5 Points] zorgalliance:

I hope they give at least 48 hours, taking into consideration not every vendor is full time - different timezones. But hey, if it's a security issue, they could really pull the plug at any point if they feel it that dangerous.


[5 Points] TheKoleslaw:

After reading this sub for months, I was getting an itch to try to buy something and Agora was the place. Now, this happens. Maybe that's a sign.


[3 Points] sebstone1401:

I know they don't specify - but can anyone give an educated guess as to how long it will take for this 'solution' to be implemented?


[4 Points] og_by_monsanto:

In case anyone wants a cleaner formatted message, here is a pastebin of it: http://pastebin.com/7AVDGVpV


[4 Points] Ruckus2118:

So will agora be back up? I had some vendors I really liked for crystal ecstasy.


[3 Points] greengiantxo:

yeah I just found out. this is good, but sucks so much at the same time


[3 Points] barsnorap:

Does anyone know WHEN it will go offline? Will they at least give us 24 hours to sort our things out?


[3 Points] m-ekim:

awesome. i'm in the midst of a wallet pin reset. might as well kiss these coins goodbye.


[2 Points] None:

[deleted]


[3 Points] TotesMessenger:

I'm a bot, bleep, bloop. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:

If you follow any of the above links, please respect the rules of reddit and don't vote in the other threads. (Info / Contact)


[3 Points] slimjim321:

I discovered the first 'hard' drug I wanted to try, looked into how to get it for a few days, discovered the darknet market and looked on it for a few weeks, found out its only sold on agora and waited 1 month to be able to register, found out the only vendor selling is on holiday to the 30th August, and now this. Holy fucking shit I just wanna get high


[2 Points] HappySodomy:

This is a good thing and nice to know Agora is looking out for themselves (and in turn, in this case us).


[2 Points] letuseathrowaway:

What is the other most secure market? I guess with that vulnerability being there, it might also apply for other markets. Tbh I won't go to AB


[2 Points] crondom90:

Agora always the best


[2 Points] Ruckus2118:

Anyone have an idea when they'll be back? Like days or more like weeks.


[2 Points] TripAddict:

Why i love Agora, they don't ignore their problems, even the slightest problem. Why i can see Agora being one of the big markets that last's a very long time


[2 Points] drimilr:

i look at this as a win for the DNM. If a market operated successfully, especially as successsfully as Agora, then shuttered shop without the feds taking anyone, and no one getting scammed by the market, then chalk one up for a win.

I suppose you could argue Evo was a win, but since they didn't use lube when they fucked everyone in the ass, I can't check that one off as a win.

soooo what's the tally

2 for DNMS 10+ Feds (sorry, i don't know a better number, I'm unclear how many got taken in onymous)


[2 Points] 99001911:

are you going to be applying for the bitlicense?


[1 Points] Skunkhunter23:

So when are they going offline? Today?


[1 Points] None:

Is there any kind of estimate at all? A week? A month?


[1 Points] None:

[removed]


[1 Points] None:

[removed]


[1 Points] This_sucks11:

Any market that's all "Hey look at me look at me, we're awesome, come over here" Ahem alphabay should probably be avoided like the plague


[1 Points] None:

[deleted]


[1 Points] None:

wish they'd move to i2p!


[1 Points] dnmtemp123:

So what about coins in escrow? Do we all need to finalize before we receive packages or will auto finalize take care of it if we can't?


[1 Points] aratliveshere:

Here's the research they refer to. It was presented at Usenix a few weeks ago.

https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity15/technical-sessions/presentation/kwon


[1 Points] Bittrades1122:

I don't think agora is coming back, I think they are closing there doors for good. Think about it why would they continue, and risk it. They made millions why do they need to keep the site going?


[1 Points] afkjones69:

of course i lose my flash drive right when i need to withdraw!


[1 Points] Vegetano:

thats it. peace out agora. was prolly the most relieable and clean DN site I have used to fullfill my neesa.


[1 Points] steveeq1:

Interesting. Won't smart contract systems like ethereum remove the need of hosting servers for darknet markets? Or systems like OpenBazaar which can't be taken down?


[1 Points] 11011101111011101:

Keep calm everyone.

Phoenix is rising.


[1 Points] MaGirlDooger:

RemindMe! 10 days


[1 Points] None:

Agora was always the 2nd best site in my opinion once SR1 came down. Sad to see it go, I had some very interesting and story worthy experiences through that site. Farewell goodq friend.


[1 Points] LRADoperator:

So upon withdrawing my funds from Agora, the message said "please allow 15 minutes". Agora wallet is empty, and the address I sent to is also empty about 30 minutes later. I read people have been waiting hours in this thread... Should I be worried, or are the transactions moving by at a snail's pace?


[1 Points] xscrumpyx:

Whats OGBryans email?


[1 Points] Calypso420:

I feel bad for everyone, especially the small time vendors.. I got LUCKY this time. I only have like $2 stuck in limbo, but just a few days ago I had 2 BTC (thats a lot to me) in my Agora wallet and I got that out .. I am definetly counting my blessings right now, because I can only Imagine what it would feel like to have a shit load of my money in Limbo.. (-_-) . I hope everything works out for Everyone.. :/


[0 Points] og_by_monsanto:

If anyone wants a cleaner version of this message, i made a pastie: http://paste2.org/tUexaGke


[0 Points] Poopbooots:

Just Fe'd on 2 orders that I placed Sunday with fingers crossed that the vendors will do the right thing and send them out... Luckily it wasn't a gigantic amount of money, enough for it to suck, but not enough for me to lose my shit.

Hopefully the vendors, in general, realize that if they honor orders that have finalized, they're going to gain a TON of respect from the community.


[0 Points] This_sucks11:

With everyone moving to other markets at least 1 of them is going to exit scam. You're gonna see the smart vendors who normally work in escrow asking for at least 50% FE until things calm down.

I wouldn't put shit in escrow in the next few weeks and rather am taking all my guys direct deal info down asap


[0 Points] Pillsbury1:

I just deposited half an hour ago then got on to read this. Am I fucked? Are my coins gone?


[0 Points] This_sucks11:

Anyone given any thought as to what will happen to Bitcoin Fog? I have personally never been scammed and don't know if to believe the scam reports or not seeing as helix, bit blender, and a few more are in competition.

But...........wasn't Agora endorsed by the Fog or the other way around?


[0 Points] Traxx187:

im gonna keep saying it for the 1000th time /r/Shadowcash is the future stop being in such denial people of all races and people of all colors! come down my friends


[0 Points] Barex12:

I deposited btc into my account right before they announced the pause... it's been a day and it's still not there. Am I fucked?


[-1 Points] 1percentof1:

This comment has been overwritten.


[-1 Points] walt81:

Bitcoin gonna probably go down in price even more now =/


[-1 Points] None:

Someone pointed out that the PGP key they signed with is a new PGP? Any truth to this?


[-1 Points] procowtipper:

I probably read right over it, but did they say when they're closing up?


[-2 Points] MaGirlDooger:

Mother fuckers are trying to crash the bitcoin jk tho but seriously hes probly going to get raided


[-4 Points] KimJongUntouchable:

EXIT SCAM CONFIRMED


[-6 Points] PartyTimeSupply:

Wow. Good thing I didn't jump on Agora. I was planning on starting there at the end of the week