The news of how was Anonfiles shut down, a widely-used platform for anonymous file sharing, has left many users heartbroken about the future of the website. Apparently, developers have taken the tough decision to shut down due to the rampant misuse and abuse it has faced from their users.
Anonfiles provided a platform for individuals to share files anonymously, ensuring that their actions remained untraceable. However, it quickly gained notoriety as a preferred choice for threat actors looking to share stolen data, copyrighted content, and pilfered credentials.
Why exactly was Anonfiles shut down?
Recent reports from users began surfacing, detailing issues with the platform’s functionality, particularly encountering timeouts during file uploads. It was revealed by cybersecurity researcher g0njxa that the operators of Anonfiles have officially pulled the plug on the service. They attributed this decision to their proxy provider’s decision to terminate their services, coupled with the overwhelming flood of abusive content that had inundated the platform.
The statement issued by Anonfiles is provided below:
“After trying endlessly for two years to run a file sharing site with user anonymity we have been tired of handling the extreme volumes of people abusing it and the headaches it has created for us.
Maybe it is hard to understand but after tens of million uploads and many petabytes later all work of handling abuse was automated through all available channels to be fast as possible.
We have auto banned contents of hundreds of thousands files.
Banned file names and also banned specific usage patterns connected to abusive material to the point where we did not care if we accidental delete thousands of false positive in this process.
Even after all this the high volume of abuse will not stop.
This is not the kind of work we imagine when acquiring it and recently our proxy provider shut us down.
This can not continue.
Domain 4sale.
domain@anonfiles.com”
While Anonfiles proved valuable to many for its file-sharing capabilities, certain users raised concerns about its association with dubious advertisers that often rerouted them to sources of malware, tech support scams, and unwanted browser extensions for Google Chrome and Firefox.
Instances were documented where users attempting to download a file from Anonfiles were redirected to a site that purported to download an ISO file bearing the same name as the desired file. However, these ISO files concealed malicious software, encompassing malware aimed at pilfering information, remote access trojans, and ad-clicking mechanisms.
In 2021, researcher Germán Fernández from CronUp cautioned against Anonfiles’ malvertising efforts that were responsible for propagating the notorious RedLine Stealer malware, recognized for its capacity to snatch credentials and cryptocurrency wallets.
Germán Fernández and Malwarebytes observed additional malvertising endeavors on Anonfiles, promoting search-hijacking extensions, the Amadey botnet, the Vidar stealer, and even the STOP ransomware.
In light of the Anonfiles shut down, the operators of the platform are actively searching for a buyer for their domain, with the intention of potentially launching a new file-sharing service. In the interim, the shutdown will likely disrupt access to numerous files relied upon by cybersecurity researchers and threat actors alike.
Meanwhile, if you are interested in topics regarding cybersecurity, you might also be interested in the global cybersecurity challenge, Operation Triangulation.
Featured image credit: Philipp Katzenberger / Unsplash
