Agora URL Has Changed. Why?

The Agora Marketplace is an anonymous online service which helps its members buy or sell products through transactions that cannot be traced easily. It gained popularity soon after it was launched and has been known as a place where genuine vendors could be found. The website also maintained highest security standards; most of its code is thoroughly tested and proved to be safe against hackers. Since most of the transactions take place through digital currency (Bitcoins), any attack by hackers can directly result in theft of currency and user identities. Agora’s administrators closely monitored all the activities on the website to recognize any suspicious activity. The site ran well for some time and gained reputation as a reliable service among vendors and buyers.

Some days ago, Agora’s clients all over the world could not carry out transactions through the website. The reason for this - Agora has been hit by the “Heartbleed” bug, and eventually the Agora URL was changed. This computer virus creates vulnerability in the OpenSSL cryptographic software library which allows the hackers to steal protected information with the help of SSL/TLS encryption which is primarily used for securing the Internet applications like email, VPN and instant messaging (IM). With the help of the Heartbleed bug, one can steal user names, user information, passwords, and critical documents and so on from the server without ever being recognized.

How is Agora Affected?

The Agora website operates as a hidden service on the web and can be accessed only through Tor, an anonymity network. While Agora does not use the Open SSL directly, this software library is implemented by Tor for securing the services that run on it. The Heartbleed bug is believed to have attacked some instances of the Tor network making it vulnerable. This may have created an opportunity for hackers to enter Agora and steal information. More information can be found on this subject at https://blog.torproject.org/blog/openssl-bug-cve-2014-0160.
A good news for the clients of Agora is that the service will soon be up and running. The new Agora URL to access the site on the Tor network is http://agorahooawayyfoe.onion. The site admins claim that they are constantly on vigil for new threats in the platform and have identified the bug in the initial stages so that there is almost no loss to the clients’ information and digital currency like what happened in the old Agora URL. They also made clear that all former clients can avail the service through the new Agora URL just like they did before.

How to Prevent Such Attacks?

As a precaution against such threats in new Agora URL, the users of the Tor Browser Bundle are strictly recommended to upgrade to the latest stable version immediately. This can be done at http://torproject.org.
In spite of this incident, the large numbers of clients all over the world who use digital currency are not discouraged to make transactions on anonymous marketplaces like Silk Road 2.0 and Pandora. However, there is a small depreciation in the value of Bitcoin, but this can be temporary and the digital currency is soon expected to reach its former glory. There is no doubt that it will play a crucial role in future online trading. To find out more about Agora URL, visit this link http://www.agoradrugs.com/agora-marketplace-url/