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Understanding the Dark Web Black Market
- Among them, suboxone and subutex medicines are most frequently mentioned by 2917 times in listings and traces in 10 platforms, followed by roxy series (ie, roxy, roxi, roxies, and roxys) with 2022 times and Lean with 1256 times.
- We theorize that this is because lower quality (and thus price) goods compete on more margins than high-quality specialized goods.
- This might be because the suppliers tend to promote their products across various marketplaces and to increase sales.
- The average cost to companies per compromised record is estimated at $194, considering lost customers, damaged reputation, and diminished goodwill.
- “‘Dark web’ is a marketing term. People say things like, ‘we’re watching the dark web.’ This goes beyond the dark web; it’s also looking at different non-Tor hidden service type sites,” Meyers said.
In recent years, there have been drastic technology-driven changes in dark web criminal markets. These technology-driven changes, which mainly include the high use of cryptocurrencies and the use of secured browser technology such as The Onion Routing (TOR), have facilitated the widespread use of these markets for the trading of illegal goods. At my company, our researchers continually monitor dark web and deep web threat actors and their ongoing activities. Based on our months of research and years of dark web monitoring experience, we have identified five main reasons dark web and cybercrime markets are booming. We trained the semantic comparison model using the traces of Reddit as the benign corpora and the traces of the anonymous marketplaces/forums as the underground corpora. Thus, we identified 58 opioid jargon used in the anonymous marketplaces and forums (Table 2).
“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,” says Tiquet. The affiliates distribute the ransomware packages through the dark web. These attacks often include stealing victims’ data and threatening to release it on the dark web if the ransom isn’t paid.
The dark web black market refers to a segment of the internet that is not indexed by traditional search engines and often requires specific software, configurations, or authorization to access. This realm operates in the shadows of the internet, providing a platform for various illicit activities, including the sale of drugs, weapons, stolen data, and counterfeit goods.
WeTheNorth is a new Canadian dark web marketplace that appears to be hosting a semi-safe space for locals to sell illegal goods and services. There are strict rules in place and they have banned certain categories to help the site be more legitimate and not attract a certain clientele. The Dark Web is the part of the web that’s only accessible through proxy networks, Tor and I2P specifically. You may be surprised that a lot of mainstream organizations have websites on the Tor Network, including Facebook and the BBC. The Tor and I2P networks provide people with an important tool they can use to communicate while keeping their identities private.
Characteristics of the Dark Web
Some notable features of the dark web black market include:
Our concluding remarks about the implications and impact of our findings are enclosed in Section 8. In total, we collected 248,359 listings from 10 anonymous online marketplaces and 1,138,961 traces (ie, threads of posts) from 6 underground forums. As observed in our data set, the top 3 marketplaces with the most opioid listings are Agora, Evolution, and Apollon. There is potential for more analysis using these categories, such as analyzing the average price for each category, the number of vendors in each category, the average vendor rating in each category, and more. Due to time constraints and topical considerations, we decided to leave these analyses for future projects.
- Anonimity: Users can browse and transact without revealing their identities.
- Cryptocurrencies: Transactions are often conducted using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to further anonymize users.
- Access Requirement: Specialized software like Tor is needed to access dark web sites, enhancing privacy.
In our study, we found that 23.78% (9896/41,614) listings and traces were identified with the help of 58 opioid jargons (Table 2). Among them, suboxone and subutex medicines are most frequently mentioned by 2917 times in listings and traces in 10 platforms, followed by roxy series (ie, roxy, roxi, roxies, and roxys) with 2022 times and Lean with 1256 times. Both K9 and M30 were mostly found in Darkbay, within 384 listings in the year 2020, whereas Lean appeared 141 times in Empire listings.
The languages that are listed are only an indication of the language the marketplace is using rather than an indication of its origin or the nationality of its admins. In the DWData files, there are more extensive breakdowns of subcategories in the “guides”, “accounts”, and “financial” categories. Our data analysis tool will also produce pie charts of the subcategories in the aforementioned categories for each website or vendor analyzed. Shown below in Figure 4 is an example of the breakdown of the account and guide categories for the Tor2dor marketplace. Before accessing the dark web or running any scripts for data collection, we first connected to VPNs to hide our locations and protect our identities. VPNs work by encrypting a user’s traffic and hiding a user’s IP address during client-server interactions, making a user’s real location and browsing data untraceable [4].
Common Activities on the Dark Web
The dark web black market hosts a variety of illicit activities:
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- Drug Trafficking: A significant portion of the market is dedicated to the sale of illegal drugs.
- Weapon Sales: Firearms and other weapons can be obtained with relative ease.
- Stolen Data: Personal information, credit card details, and other sensitive data are frequently sold.
- Hacking Services: Individuals can purchase hacking services for various purposes, including denial of service attacks.
- Counterfeit Goods: Fake documents, currencies, and luxury items are commonly found.
The Risks Involved
Engaging with the dark web black market presents numerous risks, including:
- Legal Consequences: Many activities are illegal and can lead to severe legal repercussions.
- Scams: The risk of being scammed is high, as many sellers are untrustworthy.
- Security Threats: Users can expose themselves to malware and hacking attempts.
FAQs about the Dark Web Black Market
Q: Is everything on the dark web illegal?
A: While much of the content is illegal, there are also legal aspects, such as forums discussing privacy, security, and freedom of expression.
Q: How do people access the dark web?
A: To access the dark web, users typically download the Tor browser, which allows them to surf anonymously.
Q: Can law enforcement track activities on the dark web?
A: Yes, while anonymity is a feature of the dark web, law enforcement agencies have developed techniques to track illegal activities and apprehend offenders.
Q: Is it safe to browse the dark web?
A: While browsing itself may not be illegal, the risks involved can be substantial, including potential exposure to legal issues or scams.
Conclusion
The dark web black market serves as a complex and risky ecosystem that attracts a diverse array of users. Understanding the legal implications, potential dangers, and the overall environment can provide insight into this shadowy corner of the internet. Navigating this space should be approached with caution and awareness of the serious risks involved.
