Category Archives: Stories
Silk Road 2 $2.7-million Heist – A Hollywood Suspense Thriller!
(Editor’s note: warning, graphic language below)
A massive online black market which can only be found in the deep web, a theft worth $2.7 million, the culprit still at large, the safety of revolutionary new technology Bitcoin put to the test, civilian vigilantes doxxing potential innocents, an anonymous kingpin mastermind begging for a second chance – Hollywood could learn a lot from Silk Road 2 about heightening stakes and creating suspense in this epic whodunnit thriller!
Seriously, I can’t look away! What will happen next to Silk Road 2 kingpin Defcon and his merry band of anonymous self-proclaimed “freedom fighters?”
Will it be revealed to the enthralled audience that the thief of 4474 bitcoins is actually Silk Road mastermind Defcon himself? Twist!
After reading all of his truly heartfelt and sincere statements on Silk Road 2 forums, I believe that Defcon and his team were not involved… either that or Defcon is a sociopath and a communication genius. But, I believe the former is much more likely. Otherwise, why wouldn’t Defcon be kickin’ it on a tropical island, drinking a delicious mojito and being fanned by poor indigenous women?
Why would Defcon be expressing his extreme distress to his beloved community of outlaws?
“I have failed you as a leader, and am completely devastated by today’s discoveries. I should have taken MtGox and Bitstamp’s lead and disabled withdrawals as soon as the malleability issue was reported. I was slow to respond and too skeptical of the possible issue at hand. It is a crushing blow. I cannot find the words to express how deeply I want this movement to be safe from the very threats I just watched materialize during my watch.”
Why would Defcon be standing up for the innocence of his team?
“No staff were involved with the attack. I know this to be a fact. You will undoubtedly question how I know this. I wish I could tell you without damaging a crucial layer of our operational security. I would rather you call me the thief than accuse my innocent staff of wrongdoing. I will defend them with my life.”
Why would Defcon be offering overwrote inspirational messages about the importance of buying illegal drugs online? Why would he be calling everyone comrade (that’s unpatriotic Communist-speak for “friend”)?
“Being a part of this movement might be the most defining thing you do with your entire life. Don’t trade that for greed, comrades.”
Why would Defcon be offering to repay all of the stolen funds to Silk Road 2′s users?
“Buyers and Vendors: We are committed to getting everyone repaid even if it takes a year. Do not forget to check your SR accounts frequently for balances repaid, and withdraw them when you see them.”
However, Many Silk Road 2 users strongly disagree with me on Defcon’s innocence:
Still many users believe in the innocence and good intentions of Defcon and his team and are offering their support in this “battle.”
In our world of infinite possibilities, what are some of the other possible plots for this story?
Will a drug vendor who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars seek his revenge by hiring a hitman to track and kill Defcon?
If that’s the plan then best of luck finding your kingpin, violence lovers. Defcon has been very careful not to make the same mistakes as former Silk Road leader Ross Ulbricht (affectionately known in the underground as The Dread Pirate Roberts.)
In fact, Defcon is feeling so confident of his anonymity that he’s encouraging everyone who wants him killed to give it a go:
“If you hired a hitman against me, you’re brilliant. Hire more, it’s in the community’s best interest. It is better for me to be murdered by you than to be captured by our oppressive governments. Keep me sharp. Give me incentives to maintain my OPSEC.”
Will shrewd black market business men use the manhunt for the Silk Road 2 thief as an opportunity to doxx their competitors and hope the lynch mob does their dirty work for them?
Defcon is strongly encouraging folks not to go around doxxing each other to death:
“Posting publicly will either cause an innocent to get hurt, or give a guilty suspect advance warning of what information we have. Give us a chance to consider the evidence’s security implications for the entire community, rather than recklessly releasing potentially damning information into law enforcement’s (LE’s) hands.”
“Do not forget that we are all suspects in LE’s eyes. If we find this attacker by unintentionally releasing valuable information to LE, we have all failed.”
“It is never appropriate to break someone’s anonymity. There is a worrying pro-doxxing culture developing here. We have a zero tolerance policy for this. Posts will be edited, users will be banned. This community will NOT be known for violence. Doxxing only causes harm. If you are in the rare position of holding personal details about anyone involved with SR1 or SR2, releasing it will only cause loss of innocent life and unspeakable collateral damage to the community.”
Will the Silk Road 2 community successfully doxx the real thief?
An abridged open message to the alleged thief from Silk Road 2 user, and amateur detective, Oracle:
“Hey XXXXX, hows it feel reading this? Panicky? I won’t ask you or enter a dialogue XXXXX, but I’m going to insist you contact Defcon (Silk road 2 admin) or one of the moderators and arrange to pay back the money. Or ask them for an address and if by magic the funds show up, you’ll probably live out the rest of your life relatively healthy. If not.. there’s people who’s money you’ve taken who will probably make you wish you were in hell. Understood XXXXX? Fuck you and your ratfuck thievery.”
“A VERY reliable source has confirmed to me unequivocally that PXXXXX (PXXXXX LUXXXXX) has been bragging that he hit Bitstamp, SR, and Gox with DDoS, flooded them with mutated transactions, and even made a fortune. TL;DR – XXXXX former contractor used the transaction malleability media hoopla (WHICH CAN NOT BE USED TO STEAL COINS) as a cloak to break in and steal. His initial development work probably worked as an advantage, or he kept a clone of the security methods, I don’t know – but PXXXXX LUXXXXX is now THOUSANDS OF BTC RICHER THEN HE WAS A WEEK AGO.”
Seriously, this is super awesome!
Well, it’s not super awesome for the criminals (aka freedom fighters) who had all of their bitcoin stealthily removed from their virtual wallets, but for the world audience, this is as good as entertainment can get. We all wait with baited breath for the next chapter in this epic saga of passion and betrayal.
Will Silk Road 2continue to prosper and provide our nation’s college students with psychedelic ‘shrooms and Adderall?
Will the feds discover Defcon’s true identity?
Will this be the end of Silk Road 2?
Will there ever be a Silk Road 3?
If there is a Silk Road 3, can the kingpin please go back to calling himself The Dread Pirate Roberts? I really dig that moniker.
Will the thief ever be found and brought to justice?
Will the vendors actually ever be repaid?
Will bitcoin make all of the early adopters incredibly wealthy? (Let’s hope so)(Speaking of which, Bitcoin Leah loves tips at Bitgo.com: 3NM4DLjDQ7AnQaDVjua8crWJXgdqwPwaV8)
What will happen next? Tune into life to find out.
Bitcoin Leah: Pay Me in Bitcoin From Now On
A New Bitcoiner is Born in Vegas
This article was written by On Bitcoin contributor @BitcoinLeah.
I received my invitation to drive out to Las Vegas for the Inside Bitcoins conference though a direct message on Twitter. I didn’t send a resume to OnBitcoin.com, I didn’t get a recommendation through an acquaintance and I didn’t give the website a call asking if they had work for me. My job opportunity came to me as a tweet, because the Internet has changed, and will continue to change, all of the rules of how we live our lives.
“The medium is the message” has never been more applicable.
I excitedly told my mother the news of my new job.
“They’re not paying you in Bitcoin, are they?” She worried. “Your grandfather doesn’t like Bitcoin as an investment. You know it’s not backed by anything real. Get them to pay you in dollars.”
I excitedly told a friend, who much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, has been avidly spending his days mining and trading crypto-currencies, the news of my new job. “Are they paying you in Bitcoin? Don’t be an idiot and accept dollars! Get them to pay you in Bitcoin!”
Therefore, the question on my mind going into the Inside Bitcoins conference was, “How do I want to be paid for this job? USD or BTC?”
In November, I’d found out about Bitcoin through an online article about a Silk Road 2.0 being opened under a new Dread Pirate Roberts.
“We have to come up with a story other than Silk Road for how you found out about Bitcoin,” My new employers told me upon our first meeting over drinks in Las Vegas. “Bitcoin being associated with illegal activities is bad for all of us who are invested in the future of Bitcoin.”
Apparently, Silk Road is the Voldemort, the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, of the Bitcoin world.
But look, in defense of my speaking of the devil, I wasn’t in the least bit interested in making any illicit purchases, but wow, was I ever interested in getting my digital hands onto some digital currency ASAP! With my meager savings, I immediately bought four bitcoins from Coinbase for $250 each.
A decentralized digital currency makes sense because our media, our communication and our knowledge have all already transitioned, or are in the process of transitioning, online. Moving currency online is the next logical step in our evolution and Bitcoin is the way we will achieve a new level of accessibility and unity with our currency. The entrepreneurs and investors I met in Las Vegas at the Inside Bitcoins conference are working hard to achieve this vision, and from what I observed, they’re off to a fantastic start.
Bitcoin isn’t backed by any government or physical assets and that’s the reason many people, such as my grandfather, are not willing to invest. But for me and the others like me, those of us who spend our days and nights craning our necks, backs aching, eyes glued to the Internet, alone and yet not alone in an increasingly unified digital world, Bitcoin is backed by the most important obsession of our lives. We live online and it’s only proper that we should have our own currency. For us, Bitcoin is backed by something much more trustworthy, important and precious than gold – Bitcoin is backed by the Internet.
After a little over a month, my initial Bitcoin investment of $1,000 is worth $3,448, and my expectations for the future are so bright that I’ve bought a new pair of shades.
For my time in Las Vegas, how did I want to be paid for my work? USD or BTC?
After meeting the men and women who share the same vision as I do for the future, I had no more doubts about which currency I would prefer to receive for my work.
I was paid, and will happily continue to be paid, in Bitcoin.
