Dark Matter Link Checker β Is This Onion Link Real?
Paste any Dark Matter link β from a forum, a chat or an old bookmark β to find out whether it is one of the three genuine addresses. The check runs entirely in your browser; the link is not sent anywhere.
Check a Dark Matter Link
What the Checker Tests
Four checks run in order. A link has to pass all of them to be reported as genuine.
- FormatA current (v3) onion address is 56 characters followed by .onion. The old 16-character v2 format was retired by Tor in 2021, so a short address can't be Dark Matter.
- CharactersOnly the letters aβz and the digits 2β7 can appear. The digits 0, 1, 8, 9 and look-alike letters from other alphabets, such as Cyrillic "Π°" or "ΠΎ", mean the address has been faked or mistyped.
- ChecksumEvery v3 address contains a checksum of its own public key. Change one character and the checksum no longer matches β so the checker catches typos and hand-edited addresses that look almost right.
- Verified listFinally, the address is compared character by character with the three links on Mirrors. The list inside the checker is updated together with that page.
What Each Result Means
| Result | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Genuine | Exact match with one of the three current links. | Open it. After the page loads, check that the address bar still shows the same address. |
| Lookalike | A working onion address that starts with "darkmat" but isn't on the list. | Don't open it. This is how phishing links are made. |
| Not Dark Matter | A valid onion address of some other site. | Whatever it claims to be, it isn't Dark Matter. |
| Invalid | Wrong length, forbidden characters or a failed checksum. | A typo or a tampered link. Copy the address from Mirrors instead. |
| Clearnet | A regular domain such as .com or .net. | Dark Matter has no clearnet site. Any such page asking you to sign in is phishing. |
Why a Matching Beginning Proves Nothing
Onion addresses are derived from a key pair, and anyone can generate millions of key pairs a second and keep the ones whose address starts the way they want. Each character has 32 possible values, so the 7-character "darkmat" beginning is one outcome in about 34 billion β free tools such as mkp224o find one in a few hours on an ordinary computer. That is exactly how Dark Matter's own addresses got their prefix, and how phishing addresses get theirs.
Matching all 56 characters is a different matter: it would take the market's private key. That is why the only reliable check is the whole address β which is what this tool does. The parts of an address are explained on the Mirrors page.
Already Signed In Through a Fake Link? Do This Now
A phishing site passes everything you type to its operators, often in real time. Act in this order:
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Close the fake site.
Don't enter anything else, and don't deposit to any address it showed you.
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Change your password and PIN through a genuine link.
Get the address from Mirrors, check it here, sign in and change both β the phishing operator now has them.
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Check your PGP key and 2FA.
If the PGP key on your account has been replaced, 2FA messages go to the attacker. Put your own key back and keep 2FA on β it stops later sign-ins with a stolen password.
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Treat deposits made on the fake site as lost.
Phishing sites show their own deposit addresses. Monero sent there can't be recovered; take deposit addresses only from a session opened through a verified link.
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Report the link.
Send it through Contact so other users can be warned.
More warning signs of cloned sites are collected in the phishing detection guide.
Link Checker FAQ
Is it safe to paste a link here?
Yes. The check runs in your browser and nothing is sent to a server. You can confirm it: disconnect from the internet after this page has loaded β the checker still works.
Why does it say "invalid" when I copied the link?
Usually part of the address was lost when copying, extra characters were added, or the link was deliberately altered. Copy it again from Mirrors.
Can a fake link pass the checker?
Only by being identical to a genuine address, which would take the market's private key. The remaining risk is a page redirecting you elsewhere after it opens, so look at the address bar once the site has loaded.
Does the checker tell me whether a link is online?
No β it checks whether the address is genuine. Availability of each link is on the Status page.
The link starts and ends like the real one. Isn't that enough?
No. The beginning can be generated in hours, and fake addresses are often picked to share the ending too. Only a match of all 56 characters counts.
Can I check a link without JavaScript?
Yes, by hand: compare it with the list on Mirrors character by character, or paste both into a text editor one under the other.