The Dark web

By Aayush Sharma,
CLS3R
Cyber crime is on the rise
 80% of hacking-related breaches leveraged either
stolen passwords and/or weak or guessable passwords

 85% of businesses with <1000 employees have been hacked, and most don’t even know

 4.2 BILLION email account credentials and 85 MILLION stolen PII records (drivers license, SSN, DOB,
etc.) for sale on the Dark Web
Cyber crime is on the rise

 Silk Road Shutdown (2013): The seizure and shutdown of the Silk Road, a notorious dark web
marketplace facilitating illegal drug trade, was a landmark event. Ross Ulbricht, the alleged operator,
was arrested.
 Evolution Marketplace Exit Scam (2015): Evolution, a dark web marketplace, abruptly disappeared,
leading to speculation that its administrators conducted an "exit scam" by stealing users' funds.
 Ransomware Attacks: Numerous ransomware incidents, such as WannaCry (2017) and NotPetya
(2017), utilized the dark web for ransom payments, impacting organizations globally.
 Data Breaches and Sales: The dark web has been a hub for the sale and distribution of stolen
personal information and credentials obtained through various data breaches
 Cryptocurrency Theft: Incidents involving the theft of cryptocurrencies, often associated with dark
web activities, have been a recurring issue.
Topics

1. What is Dark web

2. History of Dark Web
3. Difference between Surface web vs Deep web vs Dark Web
4. Know how dark web websites work
5. Introduction to Tor browser
6. Introduction to Tor network (Dark Net)
7. Crimes and consequences of dark web
1. What is The Dark web?
 The dark web is an area of the internet that is not indexed by surface web
search engines like Google or Bing.
 The dark web is usually accessed via the Tor network, Tor browser.
 The Tor network consists of sites known as onion sites or onion links because
they end in .onion rather than .com or .org.
 This network allows users to browse anonymously and access non-indexed
content.
 Threat actors take advantage of this inherent privacy, which means that the
dark web is an online underworld of anonymous and often illegal activity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTGdLFf0gE8
2.History of Dark Web
Time Period Events
The internet traces its origins to the ARPANET, a project backed by the
U.S. military which facilitated communication between devices using
phone lines. It sought to create a decentralized network to exchange
The birth of the internet
information external actors could not attack or target.
(1960-1990)
ARPANET, also known as the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network,
was an experimental computer network created in the 1960's that was the
forerunner of the Internet and later on, the dark web.
In the 1990s, the internet was made public in many countries worldwide.
Millions of individuals began to use it to transfer files and share
The internet goes public (1990- information. With an increase in the commercial use of the internet,
2002) concerns about its use for surveillance also began to arise. This led to the
creation of projects aimed at facilitating anonymous communication and
file sharing using the internet.

A government-backed project aimed at anonymous file sharing resulted in

the creation of the Tor browser. Due to its anonymity, the browser
The emergence of Tor and the
spawned the dark web. In its initial years, the dark web was primarily used
dark web (2000-2011)
to avoid censorship and anonymously share information. However, it also
started to be used to host illegal content.
 Prior to the creation of Bitcoin, there were limited avenues for anonymous
online transactions. However, after its creation, dark web users had a
Bitcoin and the growth of means to transfer funds to each other anonymously, resulting in the
dark web transactions (2011- creation of dark web marketplaces. Such marketplaces became increasingly
2015) popular for selling banned substances and criminal services. This was the
period when the Silk Road, one of the most notorious marketplaces, was at
its peak.

The increasing use of dark web marketplaces for criminal activity made
government intervention inevitable. Over the past decade, law
enforcement agencies have shut down several dark web marketplaces,
Government crackdown
including Silk Road and Alpha Bay. They have developed techniques to
(2015-today)
identify Tor nodes and intercept communications. While marketplaces on
the dark web remain active, there is an increased risk of legal
consequences for using them due to increased government surveillance.
3. Difference between Surface web vs
Deep web vs Dark Web
Surface Web
Surface Web

 The surface web refers to the part of the internet that is indexed and
accessible to search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
 It includes websites and content that are publicly available and easily
accessible to the general public.
 Examples include news sites, social media platforms, online shopping
websites, and most of the content you can find through search engines.
Deep Web
Deep Web

 The deep web refers to the portion of the internet that is not indexed by
traditional search engines.
 Examples of deep web content include online banking, private email
accounts, academic databases, and other services that require login
credentials.
 Password-protected email accounts
 Consumers’ online bank account pages
 Government databases
Surface Web
Dark web

 The dark web is a small, intentionally hidden part of the deep web that
requires specific software, configurations, or authorization to access.
 It is often associated with anonymity and privacy, as users can access it
using tools like Tor (The Onion Router) to conceal their identity.
 The dark web hosts a variety of websites, forums, and marketplaces, some
of which may be involved in illegal activities. However, it also serves as a
platform for activists, journalists, and individuals seeking privacy.
How to Access the Dark Web

 The dark web or hidden web can only be accessed through a special dark web
browser.
 The Onion Router, known as Tor, is the most popular dark web browser.
 Eventually, your information ends up at the website of your choice. However,
the website cannot trace this activity back to your IP address.
 This process of “onion routing” aims to keep the user anonymous. Hence, Tor
can be used to access the dark web or to access surface and deep web
websites anonymously.
Introduction to Tor browser
 Many who access the dark web do so by first connecting to it with the Tor (an
acronym for the “The Onion Router”) browser. Developed by the U.S. Navy and
made public in 2004, Tor is the most popular dark web browser because of its
unrivaled security and privacy.
 The Tor browser differs from others such as Chrome or Firefox.
 Tor stands for “The Onion Router” and is a special browser that allows you to visit
dark websites.
 Tor offers enhanced privacy for its users because it layers your traffic like an onion.
 It has a free network of servers, or “nodes,” that randomly route internet traffic
between each other in order to mask the origin of the data.
 Know how dark web websites work
 Websites on the dark web set themselves apart with a unique domain
name: .onion. Websites accessible through the Tor browser end in this domain
name, just as sites reached through traditional browsers such as Chrome and
Firefox end with domain names like .com, .org, .gov, and .edu.
 Surface web URL
• CNN.com
• Facebook.com
• DuckDuckGo.com
 Dark web URL
• qmifwf762qftydprw2adbg7hs2mkunac5xrz3cb5busaflji3rja5lid.onion
• facebookwkhpilnemxj7asaniu7vnjjbiltxjqhye3mhbshg7kx5tfyd.onion
• https://duckduckgogg42xjoc72x3sjasowoarfbgcmvfimaftt6twagswzczad.onion/
Dark web Workflow (Simplified)

Example- Sending open letter vs sending in Envelope via Post office/person

Dark web Workflow (Detailed)
Case study: “SILK ROAD” INCIDENT

 The Silk Road incident refers to the online marketplace known as the Silk Road, which operated
on the dark web and facilitated illegal transactions, primarily involving drugs.
 In 2013, the founder of Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht, was arrested by law enforcement.
 He was convicted of various charges, including money laundering, computer hacking, and
conspiracy to commit drug trafficking.
 The case highlighted the challenges and legal implications associated with illicit activities on the
dark web.
 Drawbacks of the deep web Benefits of the deep web
 Anonymity and security
 Criminals:
• The dark web, however, is entirely anonymous. When
There’s a chance you will find websites run by criminals.
taking relevant precautions, the information shared on
Beyond selling illegal goods and services, they may seek to
dark web spaces is untraceable.
exploit you and steal from you.

• Journalists and whistleblowers working together to
Breaking the law:
expose corruption at corporations and government
You can be prosecuted for things you do on the dark web. It’s agencies
important to behave in an appropriate and legal manner.
• Political protestors wanting to remain anonymous while
 Law enforcement: protesting the actions of their government

Law enforcement officials operate on the dark web to catch  Privacy

people engaged in criminal activity. Like others on the dark
To maintain user privacy, the deep web uses a combination of
web, law enforcement can do their work under a cloak of
server permissions, site redirections, and password protection
anonymity.
measures. As a result, only people with a specific login
 Hackers: account or password have access.

You can find hacker forums on the dark web, and you can  Free speech
hire computer hackers to do illegal activities. Not
Although freedom of speech is one benefit of the deep web,
surprisingly, a lot of these people would be willing to hack
information exchanged is ultimately traceable, and users
your devices, too.
should not post any malicious or illegal information.
CONCLUSION:-

 The online world has evolved massively since its inception, and this will continue as we learn more about its
capabilities. As an increasing number of people are concerned with privacy and data security, more deep web
information may move over to the dark web. However, the dark web can be a murky place, and a higher
number of users means more access to potentially dangerous information.
 The internet consists of the surface web, the deep web, and the dark web. The surface web describes
information that is publicly accessible through standard search engines. The deep web consists of information
that is not widely available, and most people will have accessed the deep web before through online banking,
private email accounts, and healthcare data. We need the deep web to keep our personal information hidden
from others.
 Although accessing the deep web is not illegal, it can facilitate unlawful or criminal activity. Deep web users
should be mindful of what information they share and take precautions to protect themselves from malware
and phishing attempts. As the online world develops, dark web users will become increasingly skillful in their
attempts to steal sensitive information. As criminals become increasingly sophisticated, tech companies are
responsible for keeping users safe from data breaches and hacks.
 To go into the deep web without any restrictions, users usually turn to a popular browser called Tor. Using Tor
can be extremely risky to one's computer and personal safety, and users may encounter content on the dark
web that is displeasing to look at. Tor is not recommended for beginners or those not knowledgeable in
computing. For those who intended to use this service, we urge you to do so after thorough research and with
safety guidelines set in place. Use at your own risk.
Dark web explanation video

video
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTGdLFf0gE8
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDzqdv3VjKE

Ref material
 https://www.soscanhelp.com/blog/history-of-the-dark-web
 https://us.norton.com/blog/how-to/how-can-i-access-the-deep-web
 https://blog.acer.com/en/discussion/626/what-is-the-deep-web