Market Chronicle

Torzon v3.0: "Citadel" Core Update & Multisig Rollout

We are thrilled to announce the successful deployment of the Torzon v3.0 "Citadel" patch. This update represents six months of intensive development focused on backend stability, resistance to traffic correlation attacks, and the implementation of trustless transaction methods.

Bitcoin Multisig (2-of-3) Escrow

The most significant addition in this update is the native integration of Bitcoin Multisignature Escrow. Unlike standard centralized escrow, where the market holds the private keys to your funds, Multisig requires 2 out of 3 keys to release funds.

How it works:
1. Buyer Key: Generated by you locally.
2. Vendor Key: Provided by the seller.
3. Market Key: Held by Torzon for dispute resolution.

This ensures that Torzon administrators cannot seize your funds even if we wanted to. This feature is now available for all physical goods categories. We strongly encourage users familiar with PGP and Electrum to switch to Multisig for orders exceeding $500.

Backend Migration to Rust

To combat the increasing sophistication of Layer 7 DDoS attacks, we have migrated our core order processing engine from Python to Rust. This change has resulted in a 400% increase in request throughput and a significant reduction in server response time. Pages that previously took 5-8 seconds to load on Tor now load in under 2 seconds.

Patch Notes v3.0.1:

• Feature: Added "Quick Buy" option for digital goods (auto-dispatch).
• Security: Implemented "EndGame" captcha challenge for non-residential IPs.
• UI/UX: Dark mode contrast adjustments for better readability on mobile Tor Browser.
• Fix: Resolved Monero sub-address generation delay.

Phishing Defense: The Rise of "Evil Proxy" Attacks

Security research teams have identified a new wave of sophisticated phishing attacks targeting darknet market users. These are not simple fake login pages; they are "Evil Proxies" or Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks.

The Attack Vector: Scammers post links on Reddit, Dread, or Telegram that look very similar to official Torzon links (e.g., changing one character). When you visit the site, it proxies your traffic to the real market. You login successfully, you see your real account balance, but the attacker is silently capturing your session cookies and credentials in real-time.

How to Protect Yourself

Verification is not optional; it is mandatory for your safety.

1. PGP Verification: Every time you land on the login page, verify the PGP signature provided in the footer. If the signature does not match the official Torzon Key, you are on a phishing site.
2. Bookmark Management: Never copy-paste links from clearweb forums. Get the link once from a trusted source (like Tor.taxi or Daunt.link), verify it via PGP, and bookmark it.
3. 2FA Enforcement: Enable PGP 2FA. Even if a phisher gets your password, they cannot replicate your PGP private key to decrypt the 2FA login message.

We have updated our Security Center with a visual guide on how to spot these proxy attacks.

Updated Requirements for Vendor Bonds & FE Privileges

To maintain the highest quality of service and reduce the influx of low-effort scammers, Torzon is revising the vendor application process effectively immediately.

Vendor Bond Increase

The standard vendor bond has been increased from $300 to $500 USD (payable in BTC or XMR). This bond is refundable after 6 months of active selling with no unresolved disputes. This barrier to entry ensures that only serious merchants apply to sell on Torzon.

Note: Established vendors migrating from retired markets (e.g., Archetyp, Incognito) may apply for a bond waiver by providing PGP-signed proof of identity from their previous profiles.

Finalize Early (FE) Rights

Finalize Early (FE) allows vendors to receive funds immediately upon marking an order as shipped. This is a privilege, not a right. The new criteria for FE are:

• Minimum 100 completed orders on Torzon.
• 4.9/5.0 average feedback rating.
• Account age > 3 months.
• No dispute rate higher than 1%.

Vendors meeting these criteria will be automatically invited to the FE program. Soliciting FE status via support tickets will result in a temporary ban.

The Roadmap to Monero-Only: Why Privacy Matters

The darknet landscape is changing. Blockchain analysis firms like Chainalysis are developing increasingly powerful tools to track Bitcoin transactions. "Mixers" and "CoinJoins" are no longer sufficient to guarantee anonymity against state-level adversaries.

Torzon currently supports both Bitcoin and Monero, but our roadmap leans heavily towards Monero (XMR). XMR is the only battle-tested privacy coin that hides the sender, receiver, and amount by default using Ring Signatures and Stealth Addresses.

Incentives for XMR Users:

• Lower Fees: 3% market fee for XMR vs 5% for BTC.
• Faster Processing: XMR deposits are credited after 10 confirmations (~20 mins), whereas BTC requires 2 confirmations (~20-60 mins depending on congestion).
• Enhanced OpSec: Using XMR protects you from taint analysis, ensuring your exchange account is not flagged for darknet activity.

We urge all users to learn how to acquire Monero. Check our Wiki Guide on Buying XMR anonymously.