CarderPlanet
Professional
Hacks are a sad reality for businesses and ordinary users. Leaked data is often sold by cybercriminals of all stripes: hackers, carders, phishers, etc. And this is done through the Dark Web. Therefore, many perceive it as something unambiguously bad and harmful, although this is not so.
Yes, cybercriminals really actively use the encrypted part of the Internet to sell stolen data, drugs, weapons. But Facebook and even the UN are using the darknet to protect dissidents and journalists. Let's take a look at what the Dark Web is, what it has and what tools you can use for safe surfing.
What is the darknet
As we have already said, this is an analogue of the regular Internet, but with its own characteristics. This segment is hidden from public access, but anyone can use it. Darknet connections are encrypted between trusted peers using non-standard ports and protocols. This network uses its own DNS, that is, domains, and address space.
Sites on the darknet have a .onion top-level domain and are most often opaque, non-nemonic alphanumeric strings that are automatically generated based on the public key when configuring Tor. This open source browser is focused on security and is the most used browser. Among the analogues, we can recall SRWare Iron, Comodo IceDragon.
To indicate that the domain is pointing to an encrypted site, URLs for sites on the dark web end with the .onion suffix and are not accessible to traditional browsers that lack proper security plugins.
For added security, advanced users and professionals also use anonymity-protecting operating systems such as Tails. Tails is a portable and disposable Linux operating system that adds another layer of security to the dark web. The operating system installs onto a flash drive in about 20 minutes and can be run on almost any computer. Tails comes pre-configured with Tor and offers many other security features.
What else you need to know about the darknet
How big is the darknet? It's not that big. Websites come and go. Sometimes by themselves, sometimes - with the help of the authorities due to violation of the law. We can say that there are from ten to one hundred thousand active sites.
Despite the anonymity and secrecy of the dark web, it has its own search engines. DuckDuckGo, NotEvil, Torch. Other systems also appear. So you can look for some information. But many popular forums are not indexed in any way, so you cannot find them through a search engine. Alternatively, you can use directories of sites like Godnotaba, but the links in them quickly become outdated. The Runion website is popular among Russian-language resources.
Because the tools needed to access shadow sites help protect the anonymity of users and servers, the Dark Web has become a magnet for criminal activity over the past decade. The eBay-like Silk Road, which has become a major market for drugs and weapons, helped shape the illicit trade. The 2013 FBI investigation, which caused a lot of noise, did not bring any real benefit - the out-of-service Silk Road has a lot of followers. Today, drugs, weapons, malware, and a wealth of personal and corporate data are sold on the darknet.
But the Dark Web isn't just about criminals and illegal trade. For example, ProPublica, a well-respected investigative news organization, also has its own * .onion site that provides secure communication with valuable sources of information. One of the UN divisions monitors the darknet and exchanges data with the public and global police organizations. Even Facebook, the largest social network in the world, has its own site on the darknet, which is used by over a million people every month.
Email encryption technologies (such as PGP) are not part of the dark web. Although PGP is often used to hide communication, allowing administrators and users of sites on the darknet to communicate anonymously.
There is also the Deep Web, which is often confused with the darknet. The Deep Web refers to pages that are not publicly available and are not indexed by search engines. You don't need any special tools to access it - a working connection is enough. Examples of deep sites are corporate intranet pages and wikis, secure bank pages, and personal social media accounts.
There is a connection between bitcoins and the darknet. Yes, bitcoins are not inherently anonymous. But determining the source of the received bitcoin is not a trivial task. Therefore, bitcoins are actively paid on the darknet, this is the most widespread currency there.
Short summary
There is no guarantee of confidentiality on the Dark Web. Tor recently warned users not to expect complete uninterrupted privacy when using the network. Therefore, we recommend that you exercise caution when working on the darknet. Use it at your own risk and never break the law.
Yes, cybercriminals really actively use the encrypted part of the Internet to sell stolen data, drugs, weapons. But Facebook and even the UN are using the darknet to protect dissidents and journalists. Let's take a look at what the Dark Web is, what it has and what tools you can use for safe surfing.
What is the darknet
As we have already said, this is an analogue of the regular Internet, but with its own characteristics. This segment is hidden from public access, but anyone can use it. Darknet connections are encrypted between trusted peers using non-standard ports and protocols. This network uses its own DNS, that is, domains, and address space.
Sites on the darknet have a .onion top-level domain and are most often opaque, non-nemonic alphanumeric strings that are automatically generated based on the public key when configuring Tor. This open source browser is focused on security and is the most used browser. Among the analogues, we can recall SRWare Iron, Comodo IceDragon.
To indicate that the domain is pointing to an encrypted site, URLs for sites on the dark web end with the .onion suffix and are not accessible to traditional browsers that lack proper security plugins.
For added security, advanced users and professionals also use anonymity-protecting operating systems such as Tails. Tails is a portable and disposable Linux operating system that adds another layer of security to the dark web. The operating system installs onto a flash drive in about 20 minutes and can be run on almost any computer. Tails comes pre-configured with Tor and offers many other security features.
What else you need to know about the darknet
How big is the darknet? It's not that big. Websites come and go. Sometimes by themselves, sometimes - with the help of the authorities due to violation of the law. We can say that there are from ten to one hundred thousand active sites.
Despite the anonymity and secrecy of the dark web, it has its own search engines. DuckDuckGo, NotEvil, Torch. Other systems also appear. So you can look for some information. But many popular forums are not indexed in any way, so you cannot find them through a search engine. Alternatively, you can use directories of sites like Godnotaba, but the links in them quickly become outdated. The Runion website is popular among Russian-language resources.
Because the tools needed to access shadow sites help protect the anonymity of users and servers, the Dark Web has become a magnet for criminal activity over the past decade. The eBay-like Silk Road, which has become a major market for drugs and weapons, helped shape the illicit trade. The 2013 FBI investigation, which caused a lot of noise, did not bring any real benefit - the out-of-service Silk Road has a lot of followers. Today, drugs, weapons, malware, and a wealth of personal and corporate data are sold on the darknet.
But the Dark Web isn't just about criminals and illegal trade. For example, ProPublica, a well-respected investigative news organization, also has its own * .onion site that provides secure communication with valuable sources of information. One of the UN divisions monitors the darknet and exchanges data with the public and global police organizations. Even Facebook, the largest social network in the world, has its own site on the darknet, which is used by over a million people every month.
Email encryption technologies (such as PGP) are not part of the dark web. Although PGP is often used to hide communication, allowing administrators and users of sites on the darknet to communicate anonymously.
There is also the Deep Web, which is often confused with the darknet. The Deep Web refers to pages that are not publicly available and are not indexed by search engines. You don't need any special tools to access it - a working connection is enough. Examples of deep sites are corporate intranet pages and wikis, secure bank pages, and personal social media accounts.
There is a connection between bitcoins and the darknet. Yes, bitcoins are not inherently anonymous. But determining the source of the received bitcoin is not a trivial task. Therefore, bitcoins are actively paid on the darknet, this is the most widespread currency there.
Short summary
- What is the Dark Web? Like the Internet familiar to everyone, the dark web is a network of sites, forums and communication tools (for example, email). Its fundamental difference from a regular network is that users have to use a certain set of tools to anonymize traffic.
- Why does the darknet matter? The answer is two words: ideology and practicality. There are a lot of users who want to maintain anonymity (their own or someone else's). And to do this, they need encryption and other tools that hide identity and transmitted data.
- Who does the darknet touch? Perhaps every Internet user. If your data has been compromised at least once, it can most likely be found on the Dark Web.
- How to get on the darknet? Most often, they are connected using Tor and the Tails OS, which can boot from a USB flash drive. The technology is available to everyone.
There is no guarantee of confidentiality on the Dark Web. Tor recently warned users not to expect complete uninterrupted privacy when using the network. Therefore, we recommend that you exercise caution when working on the darknet. Use it at your own risk and never break the law.
