The dark web is part of the internet that isn't visible to search engines and requires the use of an anonymizing browser called "Tor" to be accessed. The dark web is a part of the internet that isn’t indexed by search engines. You’ve no doubt heard talk of the "dark web" as a hotbed of criminal activity -- and it is. Researchers Daniel Moore and Thomas Rid of King’s College in London classified the contents of 2,723 live dark web sites over a five-week period in 2015 and found that 57% host illicit material. Another 2019 study, Into the Web of Profit, conducted by Dr. Michael McGuires at the University of Surrey, shows that things have become worse. The number of dark web listings that could harm an enterprise has risen by 20% since 2016. Of all listings (excluding those selling drugs), 60% could potentially harm enterprises.

THINGS YOU CAN BUY FROM DARK WEB

You can buy credit card numbers, all manner of drugs, guns, counterfeit money, stolen subscription credentials, hacked Netflix accounts and software that helps you break into other people's computers. Buy login credentials to a $50,000 Bank of America account, counterfeit $20 bills, prepaid debit cards, or a "lifetime" Netflix premium account. You can hire hackers to attack computers for you. You can buy usernames and passwords.

IS EVERYTHING ON DARK WEB ILLEGAL?? Not everything is illegal, the dark web also has a legitimate side. For example, you can join a chess club or BlackBook, a social network described as the "the Facebook of Tor."

DARKWEB TOOLS AND SERVICES

There are 12 categories of tools or services that could present a risk in the form of a network breach or data compromise:

1. Infection or attacks, including malware, distributed denial of service (DDoS) and botnets

2. Access, including remote access Trojans (RATs), keyloggers and exploits

3. Espionage, including services, customization and targeting

4. Support services such as tutorials

5. Credentials

6. Phishing

7. Refunds

8. Customer data

9. Operational data

10. Financial data

11. Intellectual property/trade secrets

12. Other emerging threats

"Ransomware-as-a-service" (RaaS) kits have been available on the dark web for several years, but those offerings have become far more dangerous with the rise of specialized criminal groups like "REvil or GandCrab".

DARK WEB WEBSITES

Dark web websites look pretty much like any other site, but there are important differences. One is the naming structure. Instead of ending in ".com or .co," dark web websites end in ".onion." That's "a special-use top level domain suffix designating an anonymous hidden service reachable via the "Tor network," according to Wikipedia. Browsers with the appropriate proxy can reach these sites, but others can't.

DARKWEB AND BITCOIN

The dark web has flourished thanks to bitcoin, the crypto-currency that enables two parties to conduct a trusted transaction without knowing each other's identity. "Bitcoin has been a major factor in the growth of the dark web, and the dark web has been a big factor in the growth of bitcoin". Nearly all dark web commerce sites conduct transactions in bitcoin or some variant, but that doesn't mean it's safe to do business there. The inherent anonymity of the place attracts scammers and thieves, but what do you expect when buying guns or drugs is your objective? Even completing a transaction is no guarantee that the goods will arrive. Many need to cross international borders, and customs officials are cracking down on suspicious packages. The dark web news site Deep.Dot.Web teems with stories of buyers who have been arrested or jailed for attempted purchases. As in the real world, the price you pay for stolen data fluctuates as the market changes. According to Privacy Affair’s Dark Web Price Index 2021, these are the most current prices for some of the data and services commonly traded over the dark web:

1. Cloned credit card with PIN: $25 to $35

2. Credit card details with account balance up to $5,000: $240

3. Stolen online banking logins with at least $2,000 in the account: $120

4. PayPal transfers from stolen accounts: $50 to $340

5. Hacked Coinbase verified account: $610

6. Hacked social media account: $1 to $60

7. Hacked Gmail account: $80

8. Hacked eBay account with good reputation: $1,000

IS THE DARK WEB REALLY LEGAL?

We don't want to leave you with the impression that everything on the dark web is nefarious or illegal. The "Tor Network" began as an anonymous communications channel, and it still serves a valuable purpose in helping people communicate in environments that are hostile to free speech. "A lot of people use it in countries where there's eavesdropping or where internet access is criminalized". If you want to learn all about privacy protection or cryptocurrency, the dark web has plenty to offer. There are a variety of private and encrypted email services, instructions for installing an anonymous operating system and advanced tips for the privacy-conscious. "Some use the dark web for situational awareness, threat analysis and keeping an eye on what's going on," he said will. "I want to know what information is available and have an external lens into the digital assets that are being monetized - this gives us insight on what hackers are targeting”. There are also many tools that can be use to monitor the dark web and scan for personally identifiable information and even respond to attacks. If you find your own information on the dark web, there's precious little you can do about it, but at least you'll know you've been compromised. Bottom line: If you can tolerate the lousy performance, unpredictable availability, and occasional shock factor of the dark web, it's worth a visit. Just don't buy anything there, that's for your own safety.