Technical Knowledge Base

DrugHub operates exclusively within the Tor network using V3 onion services. This architecture ensures end-to-end encryption by routing traffic through three random relays (Guard, Middle, Exit/Rendezvous) before reaching the server, masking both the user's and the server's IP addresses.

Access to the .onion namespace requires a Tor-enabled browser. Standard security protocols dictate disabling JavaScript (Security Level: Safest) to prevent browser fingerprinting and client-side script execution exploits.

High latency is often a result of Tor network congestion or DDoS mitigation filters (Proof-of-Work) engaging to protect the backend infrastructure. Periodic downtime may occur during server rotation or software patches.

PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is integral to the authentication process. The platform requires users to decrypt a randomly generated nonce (message) with their private key to prove ownership of the public key associated with the account, enabling passwordless login.

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is mandatory for administrative actions. It utilizes the user's registered public PGP key to encrypt a challenge code, which must be decrypted and entered to authorize sessions or withdrawals.

While transport layer security is handled by Tor, internal user-to-user messages are encrypted client-side using standard RSA-4096 or Ed25519 keys before being stored in the database.

The platform enforces an XMR-only policy for privacy. Each transaction generates a unique subaddress. Monero's ring signatures and stealth addresses obfuscate the sender, receiver, and transaction amount on the blockchain.

Escrow acts as a logical holding state where funds are locked in a temporary wallet until transaction finalization. This prevents the movement of assets until specific conditions (delivery confirmation or dispute resolution) are met.

Server-side scripts trigger fund release after a set period (typically 7-14 days) if no dispute flag is raised. This ensures liquidity flows even if a receiving party fails to manually finalize the order.

Historical analysis indicates a vendor bond is required, payable in XMR. This financial barrier to entry serves as a spam deterrent and adds a layer of economic stake to the account holder.

Recovery relies strictly on a mnemonic seed phrase generated at registration. Since no email or personal data is stored, the seed phrase is the only cryptographic method to restore access to a lost account.

Repeated failures often stem from clock skew on the client device (Tor requires precise time synchronization) or an outdated Tor circuit. Generating a new identity in Tor Browser usually resolves this.

The seed phrase is generated using a cryptographically secure pseudo-random number generator (CSPRNG) to ensure high entropy, making brute-force attacks on account recovery keys computationally infeasible.