The FBI received software to identify Tor users from a former Tor developer.

The Tor Project team, which develops the system of the same name for anonymous work on the Web, said that the former project employee had created a “key” for the special services. This is a special software that helps the secret services to identify users of the system. "We learned that Matt Edman, who worked at the Tor Project until 2009, got a job from the FBI, his task was to create anti-Tor malware," said representatives of the online media project team Dalily Dot.

Edman started workin a team in 2008, he participated in the development of the Vidalia project. The project team was engaged in creating a new user interface that was successfully implemented and used until 2013. In 2009, Edman left the organization, and in 2012 he began working as a senior cybersecurity engineer at Miter Corporation. One of his tasks is to work with the FBI officers from the Remote Operations Unit.

This unit is developing tools to gain access to attackers' PCs. In other words, the FBI officers create Trojans, backdoors, etc., but with a good purpose.

Edman worked on the tool, which is called Cornhusker or Torsploit (more common name). This is the software used by the FBI to identify Tor users. The software used a Flash application that provided the real IP addresses of users of the FBI system. The program was implemented on three servers that hosted anonymous Dark Net websites with child pornography. The servers belonged to the previously arrested Nebraska resident Aaron McGrath, whose arrest "inspired" the FBI to conduct a larger operation against child pornography. The software exploited a vulnerability in the Flash application in the Tor Browser. Representatives of the Tor Project have long warned their users about the dangers of working with Flash, but few people heeded the warnings.

During the special operation Operation Torpedo, conducted by the FBI, 25 people were deanonimized, some of whom were charged with distributing child pornography and convicted. During the court proceedings, the defense of the defendants announced their desire to familiarize themselves with the software, which was discussed above. But the FBI agent who dealt with this issue, said that the program is "lost".

Now Cornhusker is no longer used, this is stated in the documents provided by the FBI during the trial. But it is also known that the bureau uses more advanced software, which acts much more efficiently .

Edman took part not only in Operation Torpedo, he also helped in the Silk Road investigation. There is reliable information indicating that it was this person who performed the lion’s share of tracking $ 13.4 million of the Silk Road bitcoin wallets, he also proved the connection of Ross Ulbricht to the purse to which these funds were transferred. True, in this case, Edman has already worked as a senior director of FTI Consulting.