Infrastructure Under Attack - And We're Still HereWe're facing tremendous attacks on our infrastructure. Let's go through every hit we've taken:
Round 1: Clearnet DDoSNormal volumetric DDoS attacks on clearnet.
- Attack type: Layer 3/4 packet floods
- Our response: Forced to use Cloudflare
- Result: Clearnet stabilized
- Attacker success: Zero
Annoying? Yes. Effective? No.
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Round 2: Platform Penetration AttemptsDirect attacks on the b1eXch exchange platform.
- Attack type: Penetration testing, exploit attempts
- Targets: API endpoints, swap processing
- Our response: Monitored, logged, patched
- Result: They failed.
Every attempt blocked. Free security audit for us.
- Attacker success: Zero
Nice try though.
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Round 3: Tor Onion DDoS - The Big OneThis is where it gets interesting.
We got hit with a very powerful DDoS attack on our Tor onion address.
So powerful that it resulted in Tor network instability.
Let that sink in.
To take down our Tor onion, they had to attack so hard that the entire Tor network became unstable.
This is exactly what we prepared for.
You can't just DDoS a Tor onion address like a clearnet site. To take down our Tor service, you need to take down the Tor network itself.
And that's exactly what they tried to do.
Result:- Tor network experienced instability (not just us - the entire network)
- Our onion stayed up through it
- Attack eventually subsided
- Tor network recovered
- We're still here
- Attacker success: Zero (but points for effort)
The scale of this attack tells you everything you need to know.
They weren't just trying to DDoS us. They were attacking the Tor network infrastructure itself to get to us.
That's the level of resources being thrown at this.
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Round 4: Njalla Domain Suspension - The IronyAnd now, the cherry on top:
Njalla - the "most notorious privacy domain registrar" - has suspended our clearnet domains.
You know Njalla, right?
- "Privacy-focused domain registration"
- "Protects customers from censorship"
- "Founded by The Pirate Bay's co-founder"
- "Stands up to abuse complaints"
- "Your info stays private"
That Njalla.
They suspended us.
A "privacy" registrar suspending a no-KYC exchange.
The company founded on anti-censorship principles censored us.
We really question their "privacy views" now.
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The Pattern We're SeeingCompanies use the word "privacy" to sell products, but they never actually provide privacy services when it matters.
Privacy as marketing:- Sounds good in advertisements
- Attracts privacy-conscious customers
- Easy to claim when there's no pressure
Privacy as principle:- Standing up when it's uncomfortable
- Protecting customers under pressure
- Following values over profit
- Not folding at first complaint
Guess which one Njalla chose?
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What These Attacks Tell UsThese attacks are only making us stronger.
Think about the resources required here:
- DDoS clearnet: Easy, cheap, anyone can do it
- Penetration testing: Moderate effort, requires some skill
- DDoS Tor network itself: Expensive, requires serious infrastructure, state-level resources
- Domain complaints: Time and coordination
Someone is spending serious money trying to take us down.
Why? Because we're a threat.
Not to users. Not to legitimate businesses. But to:
- Surveillance-based exchanges that profit from KYC data
- Blockchain analytics companies that sell "taint" scoring
- Governments that want to track every transaction
- Competitors who can't compete on service so they attack infrastructure
If we weren't effective, they wouldn't bother attacking us.
The attacks prove we're doing something right.
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The Tor Attack Specifically - Let's Talk About ThisAttacking a Tor onion service isn't like DDoSing a clearnet site.
How Tor works:- Requests route through multiple nodes
- Distributed by design
- No single point of failure
- Resistant to conventional DDoS
To effectively DDoS a Tor onion:- Flood the introduction points
- Overwhelm the hidden service directory
- Or attack Tor network infrastructure itself
They chose option three.
The attack was so massive it caused Tor network-wide instability.
This wasn't a script kiddie with a botnet.
This was a coordinated attack with serious resources, targeting Tor network infrastructure to get to one onion service.
Our onion service.
Think about what that means:
Someone spent the money and resources to attack the entire Tor network just to try to take us down.
And we're still here.
Attack impact on b1eXch:- Some latency during peak attack
- small downtime
- All swaps processed normally
- No data compromised
- No funds affected
Attack impact on Tor network:- Temporary instability reported by Tor Project
- Affected multiple services (not just us)
- Network eventually stabilized
- Tor is still Tor
Attacker's return on investment: Nothing
All that money, all those resources, all that effort.
And we're still processing swaps.
Was it worth it?
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To The AttackersWe see you. We know what you're doing. We're prepared for it.
Here's what you've accomplished so far:
- Forced us to use Cloudflare (minimal inconvenience)
- Stress-tested our platform security (it held)
- Attacked Tor network itself (we survived)
- Got our domains suspended (we're moving registrars)
Here's what you haven't accomplished:
- Stopped our service
- Compromised user data
- Stolen funds
- Broken our security
- Made us implement KYC
- Made us shut down
- Discouraged us in any way
Current score: Attackers zero, b1eXch four
Keep trying though. You're just:
- Teaching us what to harden
- Showing us attack vectors to patch
- Proving we need better infrastructure
- Demonstrating why decentralization matters
- Giving us free penetration testing
Thanks for the help. Seriously.
Every attack makes our next version better.
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To Njalla: An Open LetterWe get it. Someone complained. Maybe law enforcement. Maybe a competitor. Maybe a concerned citizen who thinks privacy equals crime.
And you suspended us without warning or explanation.
That's your choice. It's your business.
But let's be clear about something:
You're not a "privacy registrar."
You're a domain registrar that accepts cryptocurrency and has edgy marketing. That's it.
A real privacy registrar would:
- Stand up to abuse complaints (like you claim)
- Protect customers from censorship (like you advertise)
- Fight for privacy principles (like your founder supposedly did)
- Not suspend at the first complaint
You did none of these things.
You suspended us immediately. No warning. No investigation. No standing up for principles.
The Pirate Bay would be disappointed.
Your co-founder built a service that fought governments and corporations for years. You suspended a privacy exchange at the first sign of pressure.
That's not carrying the torch. That's extinguishing it.
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"Privacy" as a Product vs. Privacy as a PrincipleThis situation perfectly illustrates the difference:
Njalla:- Markets "privacy" to attract customers
- Folds when it's inconvenient
- Privacy as marketing term
b1eXch:- Actually provides privacy (no KYC, no logs)
- Gets attacked for it
- Privacy as core principle
One of these is real. One is performance.
The attacks prove which is which.
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Current StatusTor mirror: Fully operational (survived network-level attack)
Platform: All systems working, swaps processing normally
Security: Penetration attempts failed, infrastructure intact
Clearnet: Suspended by Njalla, moving to new registrar soon
User funds: Safe, zero compromised
Our resolve: Stronger than ever
Service interruption: None. Zero downtime.
Use Tor mirror: [your onion link]
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What We're DoingMoving to a registrar that actually stands for privacy (recommendations welcome)
Hardening infrastructure based on attack patterns
Implementing additional DDoS mitigation beyond Cloudflare
Continuing to process swaps without interruption
Documenting everything for future reference
What We're NOT DoingImplementing KYC
Shutting down
Compromising on privacy
Giving up
Trusting Njalla ever again
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The Bigger PictureThis is exactly why decentralized, privacy-focused services are under attack:
We're a threat.
Not to users. Not to legitimate businesses. But to:
- Surveillance-based exchanges that profit from KYC data
- Blockchain analytics companies that sell "taint" scoring
- Governments that want to track every transaction
- Competitors who can't compete on service so they attack infrastructure
If we weren't effective, they wouldn't bother attacking us.
The attacks prove we're doing something right.
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To Our UsersYour swaps are safe.
Your privacy is protected.
Your funds are secure.
Nothing has changed on your end. We're processing swaps normally. Use Tor if clearnet is down.
This is just background noise.
We're built for this. Decentralized infrastructure, Tor integration, redundancy - this is exactly why we designed things this way.
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To The CommunityThis is what happens when you actually stand for privacy instead of just marketing it.
You get attacked. You get censored. "Privacy" companies abandon you when it's inconvenient.
But you keep building anyway.
Because the alternative is surrendering to surveillance.
And that's not happening.
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Final ThoughtsFinancial privacy is not a crime, but rather a matter of basic common sense.
Every attack confirms this is true.
Every suspension proves the need for services like ours.
Every "privacy" company that folds shows who's real and who's not.
We're still here. We're still building. We're still processing swaps.
And we're just getting started.
See you on the other side of this.
- b1eXch TeamTor: [onion link] (unaffected, always operational)
Clearnet: Coming back soon (with a registrar that actually means it)