Is it time to block the Tor network? – A study conducted by the IBM X-Force team reveals that a growing number of cyber attacks against large IT companies are based on the Tor network. With the rise of Tor-based attacks, something needs to change, and IBM is advising companies to start blocking Tor.
A study conducted by IBM's X-Force team reveals that as SQL injection, which is propagated by denial-of-service attacks, and the activity of vulnerability disclosures increase, cyber criminals are exploiting the Tor network even more to protect their anonymity. The reason these attacks leverage the Tor network is that the popular anonymization architecture allows attackers to conceal their identity.
In the US alone, in 2015, the number of cyber attacks and other malicious incidents based on the Tor network was 150,000, and experts estimate that this figure will increase by the end of the year.
Aside from the fact that Tor is used for the anonymity of attackers' identities, another factor emerging from the research is that the Tor network is used to target large IT and communications companies.
“These are specific targets,” “They [attackers relying on the Tor network] are looking for information,” said IBM X-Force senior threat researcher John Kuhn.
“I advise companies to block Tor.” “It used to be a great tool for [providing] privacy , but it’s definitely not a place you want your corporate network to have anything to do with.”
The X-Force team's study revealed that SQL injection is the most widespread attack carried out by leveraging the Tor network, due to the availability of applications such as Havij.
