As a major global system that contains information about everything (and almost everyone), the internet comes in stages: visible, deep, and dark. And some layers have more data than others.The internet has become more and more complicated by the day, but it is also scary. With so much we can and cannot do, we often feel anxious, especially when we encounter news and reports about the Dark Web. We naturally associate this terrible word with something threatening. But while some choose to talk about the Dark Web in secret words to arouse fear, this guide will end it with specific answers about the Dark Web, what happens there, and how it affects your digital security. The internet is much deeper and more comprehensive than any of us can imagine.
So nearly two billion public websites that you can access by search engines – from Wikipedia to social media websites and news sites – are just iceberg headlines. Although that number changes every second, many web pages on the Internet remain hidden from normal, everyday users, Why? Because not all information that we can access online is in the public domain.
Why Does the Dark Web Exist?
While no one can pinpoint the origin of the Black Web, it has now been cited in general discussions about technology security as a seed source for many security issues.In fact, the Black Web uses a number of nodes and networks called “darknets.” This includes – but is not limited to peer-to-peer and peer-to-peer networks, including Tor and Greenet, the organizations and individuals who use and use it.Those who want to browse and use the Black Web need to use special software, such as the Tor browser. Because it is such a large part of the internet, it is worth noting how Tor works and why it exists.
What is Tor Browser?
It was developed in the mid-1990s to block U.S. intelligence communications. visually, Tor Project is the preferred method of accessing Black Web content.Three layers of encryption and a specific online traffic route method to ensure solid anonymity. It combines solid encryption layers with the ability to randomly bump internet traffic through the Tor transmission network.
This intrusion barrier on the Dark Web exists to protect users’ identity, online activities and location, and to maintain their anonymity. By using the Tor Browser, Internet users can access the Dark Web to communicate and share data confidently, without the risk that this could be traced back to their original identity. Many users of the Black Web have joined the Virtual Private Network (VPN) in order to maintain anonymity. Some use Tor Project and Freenet as synonyms for Dark Web, but that is incorrect. Tor network and other networks using the same route have arisen from the need to protect the Internet connection, not to support criminal activities. People who need a Dark Web to be able to continue doing their dangerous work – but not illegal – are:
• Whistleblowers
• Opponents of oppressive regimes
• Activists
• Journalists who must protect their resources
• Law enforcement
• Intelligence agencies
As you would expect, missing persons or those with clear criminal intentions find a way to use this level of anonymity to cover up their illegal activities and – to a lesser extent – to avoid the use of the law.
How hackers are using Dark Web for doing fraud the Dark Web?
Cyber criminals and other vicious characters rely heavily on the power of the Dark Web in many illegal ways. The hottest places to do illegal work on the Black Web are markets and forums where bad players create illegal products and services, fueling the underground economy.
Some of the illegal products that criminals and fraudsters sell and buy in these black markets include stolen and counterfeit data coming in many forms:
• Personal data. (Also called PII, identifiable personal information) which includes full names, home addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, Social Security numbers, stolen email addresses and many more personal information that can identify you as an individual.
• Financial data. Stolen credit card details, online bank usernames and passwords, cryptocurrency account details, bank and insurance records, and much more.
• Internet account login data. It usually combines usernames and password combinations, which provide access to accounts from social media to streaming and video streaming services to paid services – including genetic testing and anti-virus products.
• Medical data. (Also called PHI, personal health information) which includes your medical history, instructions, biometric data (including fingerprints and photographs of your face), test results, payment information from medical institutions, and other sensitive information. This can lead to the theft of medical IDs or even the theft of fingerprints.
• Company confidential data. Includes classified information such as intellectual property, copyrights, competing intellectuals, and other performance information.
• Counterfeit data. Most notable are fake passports, stolen driver’s licenses and identity documents, bank documents and more.
In addition to personal information from data breaches and various other types of cyber attacks and online scams, these black markets also offer illegal drugs, access to emerging online threats and viruses, and even victims for recruitment. The best known of all the Dark Web markets was Silk Road, which at its highest level, offered more than 100,000 buyers. Founded by Ross Ulbricht in 2011, the website became a very popular black market, especially for drug traffickers. The FBI shut down Silk Road in 2013, but version 2.0 returned briefly online before law enforcement removed it altogether.
Ross Ulbricht received two life sentences, as well as three more, and the US government seized more than $ 1 billion in bitcoin during the entire decade and over the next decade. In addition to the opportunities to make big money in these Black Web markets, people are looking for the Black Web for other reasons. This online component also handles a large number of child pornography, with some websites reaching tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of users. As a hotbed of criminal activity, the Dark Web offers more than just “products” for anyone willing to buy and use. It also provides services that allow cybercriminals to launch attacks with little technical knowledge or experience.
