Edge Rewrite
Jump to content

White House Market

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from DrugHub)

White House Market
Website type
Darknet market
Available inEnglish
OwnerMr.White
Websiteauzbdiguv5qtp37xoma3n4xfch62duxtdiu4cfrrwbxgckipd4aktxid.onion Tor network(Accessing link help)[1]
CommercialYes
RegistrationRequired
Users350,000[citation needed]
LaunchedAugust 2019
Current statusRetired

White House Market (WHM) was a darknet market that operated intermittently from August 24, 2019, to October 2, 2021. While the marketplace featured various illegal products, its main focus was on narcotics, particularly in European territories. It distinguished itself through operational security measures, including mandatory JavaScript disabling and an effective moderation team that mediated disputes between users.[2]

History

[edit]

Launched in August 2019 and exclusively accessible through the Tor network, WHM garnered a significant user base with almost 895,000 registered users, 3,450 vendors, and nearly 47,500 listings, according to its home page. WHM gained prominence by filling the gap left by other darknet markets such as Dream Market and Empire Market after their closures in mid-2019 and 2020, respectively.

The market employed various strategies to enhance security, such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption for all communications and a shift to prioritizing Monero, a decentralized cryptocurrency known for its privacy features. With an estimated sales volume of up to $120 million, the administrators may have profited nearly $5 million. White House Market implemented user-friendly features, such as a bug bounty program, fast customer service, and a simple design without unnecessary elements. The market operated in English, with limited support in Spanish or French, and accepted Monero as the exclusive payment method. It was one of the longest running and profitable markets for its time.

Noteworthy features included a lack of withdrawal or deposit limits, a 5% fee for sellers (with no fee for buyers), and private listings for custom orders or discounts. WHM also emphasized security through measures like end-to-end encryption for messages, mandatory two-factor authentication based on a word list, and the encryption of sensitive data. The market's commitment to privacy extended to the minimal retention of plaintext information and the encryption of various elements, including messages, support tickets, and order details.

Despite the closure of WHM in October 2021, its impact on the dark web landscape is evident, as it set market wide standards for security and user privacy during its operational period.[3][4]

DrugHub Rebrand

[edit]
DrugHub
Website type
Darknet market
Available inEnglish
Websitedrughub666py6fgnml5kmxa7fva5noppkf6wkai4fwwvzwt4rz645aqd.onion Tor network(Accessing link help)[5]
CommercialYes
LaunchedAugust 2023
Current statusActive

The team behind WHM opened a new darknet market, DrugHub, in August 2023.[6] As of June 2026, it remains operational and is among the most widely used markets.[7] Similarly to WHM, it has a strong focus on privacy features, with Monero as the only payment option and PGP encryption enforced.[6]

References

[edit]
  1. "Dark.fail". Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  2. Chatterjee, Mohar. "The Demise of White House Market Will Shake Up the Dark Web". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  3. "PSA: White House Market is Retiring". Darknetlive. June 28, 2022. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  4. "Dark web marketplace White House Market shuts down". therecord.media. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  5. "dark.fail: Which Tor sites are online?". dark.fail. September 23, 2026. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "DrugHub, Created by White House Market, Launches". The Tor Times. March 28, 2024. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024.
  7. McNicholas, Tim (June 30, 2026). "NYC prosecutors face many hurdles as they try to crack down on crimes involving cryptocurrency". CBS New York. Retrieved September 23, 2026.