The internet has given us incredible new opportunities, making life easier in many ways. With the push of a button, you can pay your bills, plan your next family vacation, and order groceries. While the internet has numerous advantages, it also has significant disadvantages. The dark web, while not exclusively used for unlawful reasons, is one portion of the internet that criminals use for illegal purposes such as selling stolen personal information.
But what is the dark web, exactly? It’s a section of the internet that search engines don’t index. The dark web is not accessible to the typical internet user since it requires a specific browser. It’s not anything you should be concerned about in your everyday browsing, and you shouldn’t allow it to deter you from using the internet. You’re unlikely to come into contact with the dark web in your lifetime unless you actively seek it out.
However, having a greater grasp of what the dark web is and the hazards it may carry might help you defend yourself. This guide will provide you with all the information you need, including an explanation of the different levels of the internet and tips on how to be safe.
What is the dark web, and how does it work?
The dark web is a hidden part of the world wide web that can only be accessed using a special browser known as Tor (The Onion router). Dark web pages don’t appear when you look for them in a search engine, so you need to know the exact address of the website you want to visit.
So, why would someone not want a search engine to find their website? The main goal is to maintain privacy and anonymity. Individuals and groups on the dark web frequently engage in an unlawful activity and seek to conceal their identity, which is difficult to achieve with a publicly accessible website.
It’s important to note that the dark web should not be confused with the deep web, which is a part of the internet individuals accesses regularly. Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they refer to different things. Deep web content — which isn’t picked up by search engines, either — includes pages that typically require additional credentials to access. Your online banking accounts and email accounts, for instance, are examples of deep web content.
Deep web
The deep web refers to parts of the Internet not fully accessible through standard search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. The deep web includes pages that were not indexed, fee-for-service (FFS) sites, private databases, and the dark web.
Much of the content of the deep web is legitimate and noncriminal. Deep web content includes email messages, chat messages, private content on social media sites, electronic bank statements, electronic health records (EHR), and other content that is accessible one way or another over the internet.
Dark web
Though people often get confused between the Deep and Dark web, both have clear distinctions. Technically, the dark web is a niche or subsection within the deep web. It consists of websites that aren’t indexable and can’t be readily found online via web search engines. However, the dark web is a carefully concealed portion of the deep web that people go out of their way to keep hidden.
What makes the dark web distinct from the broader deep web is the fact that dark web content can only be accessed via a special browser. The Tor network is often used to access the dark web.
Additionally, the dark web has a unique registry operator and uses security tools like encryption and firewalls, further making it inaccessible via traditional web browsers. Plus, the dark web relies on randomized network infrastructure, creating virtual traffic tunnels. All of these technical details serve to promote anonymity and protect dark web users’ privacy.
Is it against the law to use the dark web?
The short answer is that browsing the dark web is not unlawful. Individuals can use it for good in some circumstances. When cooperating with the FBI or another law enforcement agency, for example, whistleblowers may find the anonymity provided by the dark web users.
While browsing the dark web isn’t illegal, it’s also not completely free of criminal activity. Putting oneself in the middle of illegal activity is rarely a good decision, and it may increase your chances of being targeted by a criminal. It’s usually advised to avoid that portion of the deep web.
On the dark web, there are numerous technological hazards. Malicious software, generally known as malware, is a serious problem that can infect even the most unwary people. Even casually exploring the dark web for entertainment can put you at risk of phishing software or keyloggers. While an endpoint security tool can detect such dangers if they get onto your computer, it’s best to avoid them in the first place.
Furthermore, there’s a risk you’ll be defrauded if you try to buy something on the dark web, even if it’s not illegal. Con artists on the dark web utilize a range of methods to deceive people. They may, for example, keep money in escrow before shutting down the e-commerce business and fleeing with the funds. It’s extremely tough for law enforcement to track down such criminals on the dark web because of its anonymity.
What are some of the ways that criminals use the dark web?
Given its anonymous nature, the dark web has an obvious appeal for cybercriminals But just what do they use it for? The purchasing and selling of black market products and services, ranging from illegal drugs to unlawful material, is the most visible sort of internet activity. When selling such things, cybercriminals may operate frauds, such as taking a person’s money and failing to provide the required product.
There are dark websites dedicated to the acquisition and sale of illegal goods and services (often utilizing untraceable cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin), such as:
- Financial data such as cloned credit cards with PINs, credit card details, online bank account logins, and more is available. People can then use your information to make genuine purchases, harming your financial situation and destroying your credit score.
- Email accounts, eBay accounts, social networking accounts, streaming services, and other hacked accounts are all listed here. For example, a person could acquire the login data of a reputable eBay seller and then use their real account to make fake sales, pocketing the money and destroying the seller’s reputation.
- Personal information such as a person’s name, address, Social Security number, and other details can be exploited to steal their identity. Identity theft is a significant issue that can affect anything from your credit score to your personal medical information.
- People claiming to be able to alter credit scores for a fee are providing illegal services. The majority of these “services” are bogus. They could also be law enforcement officers posing as criminals in an attempt to apprehend criminals.
- Unregistered firearms and drugs are examples of illegal commodities. Cybercriminals and the dark web are increasingly being targeted by law authorities.
People can visit dark websites where these things are offered, such as a digital marketplace, using browsers like Tor, which is open-source and free software. These sites may appear to be identical to any other surface or deep website you’ve seen. They do, however, differ in their domain suffix, which ends in “.onion” rather than more obvious possibilities like “.com” (Tor is short for The Onion Router, and the word “onion routing” refers to anonymous communication on the dark web).
Onion sites sometimes utilize jumbled names that make URLs difficult to remember, reducing the chances of being reported to authorities. Using specialist dark web search engines like Grams or link lists like The Hidden Wiki, you may search the hidden web. However, these sources, like the dark web itself, are slow and untrustworthy.
On darknet forums, some of this information might be quite useful. A Social Security number, for example, might sell for $2, but email credentials could fetch $120,000. Hackers can make a lot of money while minimizing the risk of being detected. It’s difficult to follow users on this section of the internet thanks to the Tor browser’s layers of encryption and IP scrambling.
How to Keep Yourself Safe Online
Even though the dark web isn’t inherently dangerous, you should still take precautions to keep your sensitive information out of the wrong hands. Here are some tips to assist you and your family stay safe online:
- Use passwords and antivirus software to secure your devices: Protecting your devices is one of the first lines of defense. Make sure your passwords are unique and strong across all accounts and keep them in one location, such as a password manager. Antivirus software must also be installed on your browsing devices to protect them from malware and other risks (you can even take this a step further by using a virtual private network or VPN).
- Think twice about oversharing on social media: While social media keeps us connected with our family and friends, be sure you’re not disclosing any personal information such as your home address or anything else that could be compromising before you click “post.”
- Become a subscriber to a monitoring service: Additional trusted eyes on your accounts can help them stay secure, whether it’s through a credit report check or an identity protection package with 24/7 monitoring.
The term “black web” may conjure up images of a terrifying environment. The truth is that the average internet user, such as yourself, is unlikely to come into contact with this level of the internet. Nonetheless, you should take all possible efforts to keep your family and your electronics safe.