On Friday , the unnamed hacker began dumping Attack.Databreach a sizable database stolen Attack.Databreach from Freedom Hosting II onto the internet , potentially exposing its users . The hosting service , Freedom Hosting II , was known for operating thousands of sites that were accessible through the Tor browser ; the `` dark web '' is essentially the encrypted network comprising Tor servers and browsers . Its main landing page was replaced with a message saying that it had been hacked . Allegedly , Freedom Hosting II had been hosting child pornography sites , though its anonymous operator claimed to have a zero-tolerance policy toward such content , according to the hacker behind the breach . “ What we found while searching through your server is more than 50 % child porn… ” the hacker wrote in the message left on the site . “ Moreover , you host many scam sites , some of which are evidently run by yourself to cover hosting expenses ” . In an email to the IDG News Service , the hacker explained how the breach came about . “ I just recently read an article about a well-known exploit that some hosting providers fell victims of many years ago , ” the person said . However , starting on Jan. 30 , the hacker gained access to its web server , using a 20-step method . The hack essentially involved starting a new site on Freedom Hosting II and creating a link to gain access to the service ’ s root directory . This allowed the hacker to browse the entire server . “ I had reading permissions to everything the web server could get access to just by creating a symlink to / ( the root directory ) ” . After coming across child porn sites , the hacker decided to take over Freedom Hosting II by altering its configuration file to trigger a password reset . “ Once I found out what they were hosting , I just wanted to shut them down , ” said the hacker , who ’ s also been circulating what he stole Attack.Databreach through a torrent file . The dump Attack.Databreach includes 74GB of files and a 2.3GB database from the service , the hacker claims . “ The IP of the server has been leaked Attack.Databreach , which potentially could reveal the admin 's identity , ” the hacker added . Chris Monteiro , a cybercrime researcher based in the U.K. , has been looking through the data dump , which he said appears to be real . The information includes the sites that Freedom Hosting II had been operating , along with the admin credentials to access them . The dump Attack.Databreach also appears to contain a client database , meaning that anyone who used Freedom Hosting II might be exposed , Monteiro said .