The Dangers of the Illegal Dark Web

With this knowledge, you can continue to browse online with confidence. Researchers from Recorded Future estimated that while there are more than 55,000 existing onion domains, only 8,400 (or roughly 15%) of these sites were active. This means that the total network of live dark web sites is only about 0.005% of the size of the surface web.

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The illegal dark web is a part of the internet that is intentionally hidden and is inaccessible through standard web browsers. It can only be accessed using special software, such as the Tor browser. While the dark web can be used for legitimate purposes, it is also a hotbed for illegal activity.

What is the Illegal Dark Web?

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The illegal dark web is a part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines and is not accessible through traditional web browsers. It is often used for illegal activities such as the sale of drugs, weapons, and stolen data. The anonymity provided by the dark web makes it an attractive platform for criminals.

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The Risks of the Illegal Dark Web

So I guess you’ve seen all the ransomware attacks which take place over the last year where someone hacks the organisation and they encrypt all the files. We see drugs being sold, child exploitation material being sold, occasionally involving the set of children as well. Obviously the drug stuff, anything that you can fit, guns, hit men, criminal society stuff available on the dark web. A) It’s not run by criminals, it’s actually run by a non-profit charity or the Tor Project.

There are several risks associated with accessing the illegal dark web. First and foremost, it is illegal to access or participate in illegal activities on the dark web. Law enforcement agencies around the world are actively monitoring the dark web and have made numerous arrests related to illegal activities. Additionally, the dark web is often used to spread malware and viruses, putting users at risk of having their personal information stolen or their devices compromised.

How to Stay Safe

Still, for those willing to put up with the inconvenience, the dark web provides a memorable glimpse at the seamy underbelly of the human experience – without the risk of skulking around in a dark alley. IBM Security X-Force, for example, reported that 29% of its ransomware engagements in 2020 involved REvil. The criminal groups that developed the malware gets a cut of the affiliates’ earnings, typically between 20% and 30%. IBM estimates that REvil’s profits in the past year were $81 million. A 2019 study, Into the Web of Profit, conducted by Dr. Michael McGuires at the University of Surrey, shows that things have become worse.

The best way to stay safe when it comes to the illegal dark web is to avoid it altogether. However, if you must access the dark web for legitimate purposes, it is important to take precautions to protect yourself. This includes using a virtual private network (VPN) to hide your IP address, using strong, unique passwords, and being cautious of any links or downloads you come across.

Our unit of analysis was “index keywords.” We extracted a total of 5155 index keywords from the dataset, and 55 keywords met the inclusion criterion when the minimum number of keyword occurrences was set to 15. We also carefully used the VOSviewer thesaurus feature to merge synonyms of certain keywords into a single term. All of these criteria were helpful for reducing the number of keywords in the network, the number of clusters, and the complexity of the network while maintaining the quality of the interpretation. After applying these criteria, VOSviewer generated a visualization with four distinct clusters (Fig. 5) and Table 5 shows the top keywords in each cluster. A keyword co-occurrence network focuses on understanding the knowledge components and knowledge structure of a scientific/technical field by examining the links between keywords in the literature.

It is also important to remember that the illegal dark web is not a place for the faint of heart. It is a dangerous and unpredictable environment, and even those with the best intentions can find themselves in over their heads. If you are not familiar with the dark web, it is best to steer clear and leave the investigating to the professionals.

This Russian cybercrime forum is one of the largest hacking communities in the world. It has a constantly expanding expertise database covering hacking methods and tools for everything from carding to DDoS attacks. The members of this community have the primary goal of providing a key resource for Russian hacking methods to maximize efficiency. They also require a strict joining process that can test the skills and proficiency of potential members, so it is designed for the hacking elites.

• However, Tor does not establish a direct connection between the user endpoint and the internet.
• It’s difficult to quantify how many unique sites are available on the Dark Web, but estimates range around 20,000 or less.
• By using a secure password manager, you can keep your login information safe and secure while accessing the dark web.
• We recommend using a VPN in case you accidentally access any copyrighted content.

Conclusion

The illegal dark web is a dangerous and unpredictable place, and it is important to be aware of the risks associated with accessing it. While it can be used for legitimate purposes, it is often used for illegal activities such as the sale of drugs, weapons, and stolen data. To stay safe, it is best to avoid the illegal dark web altogether and leave the investigating to the professionals.