How to check if a Nexus URL is real
A fake Nexus URL matches the first 8 to 12 letters of a real one because generating a matching prefix takes hours of GPU work. Matching all 56 characters would take centuries. So the check is straightforward: compare every letter of the URL you have against the URL on this page. If any single character is off, you are on a phishing site.
The second check happens inside the market itself. When the Nexus login screen loads, the captcha image carries the current onion URL in its bottom line. That image is generated on the operator's server, not by any middlebox. If the URL under the captcha matches your address bar, the mirror is real. If it does not, close the tab.
The strongest check is PGP. Nexus signs every mirror rotation with the same private key that has signed every rotation since the market opened. When a new Nexus URL shows up, the announcement is wrapped in a signed message. Verify the signature with the operator's public key and the URL is provably real. Details on the PGP page.
Related pages
- Nexus Market Links — same URLs sorted by use case
- Mirrors overview — the mirror rotation model
- How to access Nexus with Tor Browser
- Common questions about Nexus URLs