Source: https://hiddenwiki.wiki/
Have you ever bought something without any advertisement or paid money without using your credit card? Even worse than that, have you ever bought a commodity without knowing who the seller is? The only platform where you could get this anonymity is the dark web. Dark webs are underground ‘bazaars’ where commodities ranging from a simple medicinal product to banned drugs and from fake ID cards to stolen data can be easily accessible. All you need to do is download Tor browsers, which conceal the identities of both buyers and sellers by using the “. onion” domain.(Stephane Nappo)
Cyber Crime Economy What do you think? To get access to the dark web, being an ordinary person is easy? Prior to dark web access, you have to surpass the surface and deep web. The surface web refers to the most popular search engines i.e. google, Opera, etc., which are officially available all around the globe. The deep web is another layer of search engines that sits beneath this. The deep web is, no doubt, accessible via local search engines, but it needs an extra effort to get into. This includes logins, credentials, passwords, CAPTCHA, etc. Here’s the curiosity that doesn’t stop. Now you have to get some private browsers, i.e., Tor browsers, which use encryption techniques, thus leading you towards the underground cyber economy.
From Silk Road to Organized Crime Networks What we see today, the dark webs in their modern form, wasn’t the case at all. With the establishment of the Silk Road in 2011, it eventually emerged as a major source of illicit trade. Its shutting down in 2013 no doubt terminated the portal but didn’t halt others from following suit. From that period, hundreds of dark web portals have been created, each time with advancements and more encryption. Whether it be Alpha Bay, DuckDuckGo or Torch, all tried to be stealthier and encrypted in nature than their predecessors.
Dark Web Products Here the question arises: why does darkness have a greater appeal? This is because they not only provide pseudonymity, but there’s also an avalanche of counterfeit passports, hacking software, ransomware kits, and tutorials on how to do various crimes and remain at large. It’s all for sale. When you open a dark web portal, you can find multiple pages where you could get the list of banned and illegal products at your fingertips. Let’s delve into some of the top products available on dark nets.
1. Dark Web Drug Markets
An ordinary mind might think that if we have medicals in our city, why should one go for dark webs? What happens if you require a medication or drug that is only available from pharmacies with a prescription? For example, you are doing some research, you want certain chemicals and drugs, and you don’t have a prescription due to legal constraints. Similarly, really, if a criminal wants cannabis, they would definitely not be going to ask the doctors or pharmacists to provide the desired drugs so they can commit a crime. Here, the dark nets play a role.
The anonymity of Tor and crypto payments makes weed the staple of this underground retail ecosystem. As of 2019, Alaa Moha Allawi was sentenced to thirty years for pushing about 850,000 pills—oxycodone laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine included—through dark web drug mar The product resulted in several overdose deaths, a U.S. Marine among them. The court threw on top a $14 million forfeiture to smash what were probably huge crypto profits.
2. Stolen Data
In spite of snatching mobiles, wallets, etc. on the local streets, criminals are now heading towards dark nets where they can get thousands of fake ID cards, credit cards, and bank accounts. This provides them with double anonymity. First, when they buy these stolen credentials, the seller and buyer identity is encrypted. Second, when they commit crimes, the state authorities will arrest the person whose credentials were used.
Not only this, but stolen accounts and credentials for various social platforms such as Netflix are easily available. The users can get premium access at a much cheaper rate with an anonymous identity. As of June 2021, about 700 million LinkedIn accounts, including personal credentials, professional details, and employment location, were sold by an anonymous hacker.
3. Hacking Services
The dark web is not merely limited to drugs and counterfeit products. It is a platform where thousands of hacking services are easily available. From simple key loggers to advanced ransomware packages, vendors are providing them. Various phishing kits are also available for fake banking sites, login forms, and even email scams. The most prominent hacking service available is the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), which functions to overwhelm websites with traffic until they just can’t handle it anymore. As of May 2017, a ransomware attack known as ‘WannaCry’ was used to attack more than 2 lakh computers throughout the world.
4. Illegal Weapons
With just a few clicks, people can arrange for international shipping of modified weapons that can be used quietly or even anonymously using dark portals. The interesting thing lies in the methods they use to ship these items. It’s really become an art form. They disassemble firearms and conceal the parts in electronics or power tools. This means that the product is wrapped in layers from purchase to packaging and delivery. It’s an entire underground scene that feels like a fiction or a movie. Both non-state and state-sponsored actors are doing weapons trade. Andrew Williams, a retired army member, purchased a firearm and explosives on the dark web in April 2023. He was detained for five years after being arrested by the state authorities right away.
Source: https://vpnoverview.com
5. Hitman and Counter-Surveillance Products
The dark web is often characterized by vicious killing activities where serial killers have created their profiles with professional skills enlisted as killing, kidnapping, torture, etc. Even beyond this, customer reviews in comment sections have been uploaded to further enhance their network. Moreover, various counter-surveillance goods, including jammers, spy cameras, bugs, etc., are available at much cheaper rates. It clearly demonstrates that dark nets can be used for offensive and defensive endeavors.
Conclusion
Transcending the territorial boundaries, the dark webs have become a global threat where every single activity is being watched by both state and non-state actors. Under the umbrella of the dark web, drugs and data both go hand in hand, destroying human lives in different ways. The question here is, what is being sold on dark nets? The issue is why people are willing to buy these illicit products. As we get more connected, crime is shifting into the digital realm, and it’s hard to tell where the street corners end and the server rooms begin.(James Scott)
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