Forensics

Pressure Mounts on FBI To Reveal Tor Browser Exploit

Things are only getting more complicated for the FBI around its investigation into dark web child porn site Playpen.

Another defense team has demanded that the agency hand over the full code of a piece of malware used to catch suspected pedophiles using the site, including the Tor Browser vulnerability the malware took advantage of.

The case stems from Operation Pacifier, which saw the FBI seize Playpen in February 2015 and briefly run it from a government server. During this time, the agency deployed a network investigative technique (NIT)—read: malware—to identify visitors of the site.

The malware relied on a vulnerability in the Tor Browser, and after infecting a target’s computer, it grabbed their real IP address and other technical information.