The dark web: risks, content and access

You may have heard of the dark web before, but do you really know what the dark web is or what it consists of? Do you know its risks? Which users use the dark web? What was published? Do you know how to access the dark web securely?

If you're reading this right now, it's because you're in the public part of the Internet (the so-called Surface Internet), but there's another, darker, deeper area that's out of reach for most users, called Dark Web, in English: dark web. If you are an activist, police officer, journalist, military officer, analyst, detective, or simply a curious person who wants to learn about the subject, This handy guide to the dark web will interest you.

  What is the dark web?

The deep web or the dark web consists of all web pages that are not recognized by search engines like Google, Yahoo or Bing because they are not indexed. In other words, most of these pages do not have links to other sites that search engines can use as references to track and crawl. Access to this “cyberspace” requires a special program. Many users, including experts, use the terms Deep Web and Dark Web as if they were synonyms, but there is a significant difference between the two. The term Deep Web includes all online resources that are not indexed by traditional search engines such as Google, Bing o Yahoo, as we have mentioned.

However, the Deep Web can be accessed like a normal website using standard HTTP/HTTPS network protocols and typical web browsers such as Chrome, Mozilla o Internet Explorer, without the need for special software. But accessing the dark web requires special browsers and protocols.

The dark web often uses domains such as onion which represent addresses IP “anonymous” which can be accessed through the Tor network (a tool used to access the dark web and “protect user anonymity” while browsing the Internet). If you're wondering why we put the term anonymity in quotes, read on.

The purpose of the browser and the Tor system is to make it difficult for the information distributor and its recipients to track each other or through third parties. Here is an infographic showing how Tor works:

Tor sends user requests through many repeaters (also called servers or routers). Typically, with at least three retransmissions, a layered encrypted connection is always maintained between all retransmissions on the network:

The first node of the server establishes the user's connection to the Tor network. The second server node only knows that the data comes from the first server and sends it to the third server.

The third server node only knows that the data comes from the second server node. and much more. The first server node and the main data source of this last server, also known as the outgoing server, are unknown.

Is Tor really anonymous on the dark web?

Tor's anonymity, as cyber intelligence experts know, is problematic because “any” You can install a server on the Tor network (or on several) and use it for illegal purposes. In the diagram, these server nodes are represented as “evil nodes” (daemon nodes).

Many intelligence agencies are believed (including Interpol and Europol) and organized crime companies in cyberspace have thousands of server nodes to increase the likelihood that anyone using the network will overlay their gender across multiple servers. The nodes are on the same path and can therefore decrypt the connection, its sender, recipient, and the data sent.

In addition to these system failures, there are several factors that can affect Tor's privacy and anonymity:

• The Internet connection at the origin or destination may not be secure (problems arise when using a foreign network, it is interrupted, or it cannot be traced, such as when connecting to Starbucks or airport Wi-Fi). Conversely, if your life is highly digital, your browsing patterns and behavior can also identify you.
• Devices used as transmitters or receivers are infected with malware and can obtain information at the beginning or end of the journey.
• Your country may interfere or has interfered with telecommunications based on usage patterns, Internet searches, etc. In fact, ISPs have policies to store your usage data, personal data, etc. By default or incorrect settings, employees of that telecommunications company or cybercriminals who gain access to their systems may know your browsing data at the source. Among other things.

At the end of this article, we will explain how you can use Tor to increase your chances of browsing the dark web safely and anonymously. Now we're here to provide you with a list of 15 cybersecurity tips for living a life of cybersecurity on the dark and superficial web. But let's do it in parts. To talk about the dimensions of the dark web, we must understand the surface internet, which consists of all the content available through search engines and browsers such as Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, etc.

So, as unlikely as it may seem, Surface Internet only contains 5% to 10% of all content that exists. Thus, the remaining 90-95% belongs to the deep web and the dark web.

What can you find on the Dark web?

The dark web is the deepest part of the Internet and contains an entire hidden world. The team of Intelliagg He reviewed more than 1,000 samples of hidden services on Tor in 2015 and found that 68% of Tor's darknet content was illegal.

However, while most dark sites are associated with illegal activities, many are used for legitimate purposes, such as:

• Hide IP address to protect your privacy.
• Hide computer-related data.
• To hide their browsing data (fingerprints while browsing the surface internet) or because they are being persecuted by a criminal organization or for some other legitimate reason due to their political ideology in a country under dictatorship.

Below, we explain what you can find on the dark web.

The Hidden Wiki is the starting point of the Dark Web

It's like a service of “yellow pages” or “teletext” in the sense that it acts as a pointer to the onion portal which can be accessed from the Tor network. Its location on the network is difficult to find because it constantly changes servers and domains for legal reasons.

Even if you find The Hidden Wiki, you won't be able to access everything because they use various protection systems to restrict traffic, and sometimes you have to get an invitation. So, there is a deep web within the dark web itself.

 By looking at the content map of its home page, we can clarify what web pages and services are hidden behind the Tor network:  

• Financial Services: Bitcoin Laundering, PayPal Account Theft, Currency and Banknote Counterfeiting, Credit Card Cloning, etc.
• Anonymity and security: Guidelines for improving privacy in Tor, especially for selling or trading cryptocurrencies. Hosting services: Web hosting and storage of images/files that are illegal or privacy-related in the first place.
• Blogs and forums: In addition to those related to the purchase and sale of services, two common categories are piracy and image sharing. Email services: Some email addresses are free, while others are paid for with SSL and IMAP support.
• Political activism: exchange of censored documents, hacktivism and murders. Anarchy and ideologies “anti-establishment” They are the ones that most dominate the dark web, but there are many other groups that justify violence.
•  State Secrets: There is a “section” of Wikileaks and several pages on which to publish secrets, leaks related to the Intelligence Services.

Cybercrime Job Board

Unfortunately, there are some websites where malicious hackers (cybercriminals) promote themselves with illegal activities in exchange for money. Here are the two most important pages:

• 1. Rent a Hacker: European computer scientist with 20 years of experience in social engineering and illegal hacking, providing users with DDOS attacks, zero-day attacks, Trojans and phishing. The minimum amount for a small job is 200€ and from there you can do anything you want.

• 2. Hacker4Hire: In this case, hackers divide prices by service:

Spyware development: $180

Find one: $140

Hacking a web server (VPS or hosting): $120

Explore one: $120

Hacking a computer: $80

Hacking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram profiles: $50

The challenge here is really to compare who is in it “other side” from the link to your real experience, so payments tend to be incremental. However, it is clear that even if these sites exist, they are not always trustworthy and most of them can be perfect scams.

Fake websites of scammers

With a completely free market, the number of scammers increases due to impunity on the dark web. You can't trust antivirus software here, and there is no effective prosecution of cybercrime, so it's important to be careful.

One of the most common scams is the “presence fraud”, which involves fraudulent activities by malicious crypto promoters who flee with investors' money during or after an ICO (cryptocurrency financing). However, there are mechanisms such as Transaction who act as intermediaries in the buying and selling process, and if something goes wrong, the store allows disputes to be filed that affect the credibility of this intermediary.

In addition, there are various police and intelligence agencies (public and private). The “Honeypots” These are fake websites created by security agents to catch people involved in illegal activities.

Online marketplace

Skil Road It is Tor's most recognizable brand and has been known as the Amazon of drugs since 2011. However, the FBI found the store's servers and shut them down. Then came Skill Road 2.0 and the same thing happened. So currently the largest darknet market is Agora and the second largest is Evolution. The registration process is the same for both: there is no need to add an email address, just choose a username, password, and password to remember.

For small businesses

The dark web offers many opportunities, especially for the “entrepreneurs”. Thus, there are several deal sites, but the most prominent are those that hire hitmen, such as “C'thulhu”, “Quick Kill” or “Contract Killer”, which offer hitmen starting at $20,000. Below we show the Cthulhu price list, the prices are detailed, for example, a murder that looks like an accident, asks for $75,000 per person, but if it is high, it is $300,000:

Another very common group are thieves. You can find many people selling cloned credit cards, half-price game consoles, and Apple products like iPhone or iPad. Finally, counterfeits also stand out. Tor has a page about counterfeiting euro and dollar banknotes that looks very convincing from the images.

On the other hand, Onion Chan is a forum open to all darknet users where they can post anything. But a very prominent section is the conspiracies section, which deals with topics such as Satanism, aliens, how governments control people, Holocaust denial, and more. For more information on misinformation and fake news, click here.

Here is the video coverage of Xataka of what you will find on the dark web:

The risk of entering the dark web

Especially for vulnerable people, the dark web is very dangerous because it will relatively easily and sometimes accidentally find:

• Video ads of a sexual nature, mutilations, rapes and murders.
• Trafficking in organs, drugs and weapons. Hitmen, credit cards and fake IDs.
• A guide to making weapons and explosives, killing people without a trace, and laundering money. These are people.
• On-demand theft and cybercriminal hiring services (see cyberattack map here) and recovery of stolen accounts and passwords. To learn how to intervene in cases of identity theft, click here.
• Sites with racist and xenophobic content. Child pornography.

The simple act of accessing the dark web It's not a crime in SpainBut in other countries it may be because it is known to affect national security. You don't know who, like you, controls or monitors these accesses and from where “anonymously”.

Don't assume that everything you are about to see is real. There are many manipulated pages, posts, videos, and images that only try to get your attention, being provocative and pathological, to make you click (perhaps malware) or enter your bank card (emptying it). Therefore, some knowledge in cybersecurity is necessary to be able to deal with the risks and threats of the dark web.

Not everything on offer is illegal, but even so, if you want to hire something, remember that you don't know who's behind it. It could be a scammer selling you fake, manipulated, or dangerous products or services.

Regardless of whether the hiring is good or bad, he will still be a salesperson, of course he will not be able to ask you for anything at all, at most he will be able to give you a “bad review”.

List of tips for visiting the dark web safely (and anonymously)

First of all, please note that there is no 100% secure way to guarantee the privacy of your communications. As all cybersecurity experts agree, “if you want your device, connection, or system to be secure, turn it off”. As detailed (and practiced) in these elections, certain actions or measures can improve the security of your communications, such as:

1. Create information or files that you want to transfer on a computer or any mobile or laptop device that you do not have, do not have, and will not have an Internet connection to. Cookies may be transferred to you; you can find out how to delete them here. If possible, the computer in question is new or has been recently formatted, and is always encrypted using the strongest encryption standard (this will vary each time computing power or ethical hacking increases).
2. From another computer/device (preferably new or recently formatted so you don't receive information) and with robust, up-to-date antivirus software, create a virtual machine and connect to the Internet over a secure network that you control (then make sure only you can access the router), use VPN software to ensure an encrypted connection.
3. You can download the VirtualBox software for the virtual machine from which you will install the other programs (VPN and Tor). Here we provide a direct link to download VirtualBox.
4. After downloading VirtualBox, enter and download a VPN to change your IP address and encrypt your connection. Given the amount of personal data collected by most service providers and the beneficial use of this data, it is recommended to take steps to avoid leaving “traces” when accessing the Internet. Here is a list of 20 free VPNs that do not log your activity or sell your data.
5. After accessing the VPN, you need to download the Tor browser. As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, it is a distributed communication network in which message exchange routes do not reveal the identity of the source (its IP address), and the integrity and confidentiality of the messages and information are preserved. The information contained in it is distributed on a priori “anonymous” networks. It is important to note that you will only remain anonymous if you visit the site using the TOR browser (using the dark web infrastructure).
6. Another aspect we had to consider is hiding the use of our Internet Service Provider's (ISP) TOR browser. This step is very important because depending on the country we are connecting to, using the TOR browser can be considered suspicious or even illegal.
7. When you open the Tor network, you will see The Hidden Wiki, from where you can access several existing websites. Don't be alarmed when you see content or links to onion domains and URLs that don't display text, but rather a combination of letters and numbers. More importantly, you must have a.onion link that matches the site you want to visit. You can use a hidden Wiki.
8. Finally, it is very important that you do not download anything during your visit, as you may be a victim of a scam or any type of cyberattack, both later and in the future, whether it be malware, ransomware, phishing.

Disclaimer by Bright Technology of which through this article the only purpose proposed is informational. Bright Technology he does not take responsibility for his actions.