IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Cloudflare flags archive.today as "C&C/Botnet"; no longer resolves via 1.1.1.2

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

4 dominant themes in the discussion

Theme Key takeaway & supporting quote
1. Archive.today flagged as a C&C / botnet The service is now labeled “Command and Control & Botnet” in Cloudflare’s threat intel.
“archive.today is currently categorized as: * CIPA Filter * Reference * Command and Control & Botnet * DNS Tunneling” – winkelmann
2. Cloudflare’s filtered DNS (1.1.1.2/3) blocks the domains The block stems from Cloudflare’s malware‑filtering resolver, not from a change in how 1.1.1.1 works.
“Cloudflare dns has gone back and forth on whether it wants to resolve them since 2019. ... The c&c/botnet designation would seem to be new though.” – razingden
3. Archival content is being deliberately altered Archive.today has changed saved pages to insert the author’s name, breaking the “sacrosanct” nature of an archive.
“The site started doctoring archived versions as part of the petty feud.” – boredhedgehog
4. Calls for an apology / accountability Many argue that only a genuine, verifiable apology could restore trust.
“If there was an apology it could be considered, depending on the apology (i.e. is it earnest?). But so far that does not seem to happen.” – jojomodding

These four themes capture the technical classification, DNS filtering action, content manipulation, and ethical debate that dominate the Hacker News thread.

🚀 Project Ideas

Transparent DNS Classification Hub#Summary

  • Real‑time API and UI that shows why a domain is flagged (CIPA, botnet, CORS‑open) and lets users bypass filters on demand.
  • Gives users full visibility into DNS filtering decisions.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Security researchers, developers, privacy‑concerned users
Core Feature REST API + web dashboard displaying classification tags, source of flag, and override option
Tech Stack Node.js/Express, SQLite, React, Cloudflare Workers
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: SaaS subscription for advanced analytics and custom alerting

Notes- HN commenters repeatedly asked for transparency about why Cloudflare flags domains – this provides it.

  • Enables building alternative resolvers or client‑side tools that respect user choice. ## Immutable Multi‑Archive Vault

Summary- Aggregates snapshots from multiple archives into a single index, storing immutable hashes to detect any content alteration.

  • Guarantees an unaltered historical record for research and verification.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Researchers, journalists, open‑source projects
Core Feature Automatic collection of archived pages, hash verification, UI to view immutable history
Tech Stack Python/Django, PostgreSQL, IPFS for storage
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: Freemium tier for heavy usage, paid verification API

Notes

  • Directly addresses concerns about archive.today tampering with archived content.
  • Provides a trustworthy alternative that the community can rely on for citations. ## ArchiveGuard Browser Extension

Summary

  • Blocks malicious scripts that auto‑trigger DDoS from archive sites unless the user explicitly whitelists them.
  • Protects users from unintentionally participating in botnet attacks.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience General web users, privacy‑focused browsers (Chrome, Firefox)
Core Feature Content‑script detection, per‑site whitelist, safe‑mode toggle
Tech Stack Chrome/Firefox Manifest V3 extension, JavaScript, background service worker
Difficulty Low
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Addresses the HN discussion about archive.today scripts spamming target sites.
  • Gives users control over participation in potential DDoS without needing technical expertise.

ClearDNS Public API

Summary

  • Centralized API that aggregates DNS classification data from major public resolvers (1.1.1.1, 1.1.1.2, 1.1.1.3, Quad9, NextDNS).
  • Returns detailed reason, source, and policy for each flagged domain.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience App developers, security tool creators
Core Feature Query‑by‑domain endpoint returning classification tags and source resolver
Tech Stack Go, GraphQL, Redis cache, Docker containers
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Tiered API usage fees with free dev tier

Notes

  • Solves the need expressed by many commenters for a reliable way to know why a domain is blocked.
  • Enables third‑party tools to dynamically adapt DNS resolution based on transparent policies.

ArchiveSwap Ethical Paywall Archiving Marketplace

Summary- Platform where publishers can sell archival access to paywalled content, with automated verification that archives remain unaltered.

  • Users pay per view, ensuring creators are compensated and archives stay trustworthy.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Content creators, journalists, researchers
Core Feature Verified archival storage, micropayment via smart contracts, integrity proofs
Tech Stack Ethereum smart contracts, Next.js front‑end, IPFS for storage
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: Transaction fees on each archival access

Notes

  • Tackles the ongoing debate about piracy vs. legitimate archiving by providing a paid, ethical alternative.
  • Aligns with community desire for trustworthy archives while respecting copyright and creator revenue.

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