dark web

Deep Web vs Dark Web – What’s the Difference?

2019-06-12 by Michelle Dvorak

What Is the Difference Between the Deep Web and Dark Web?

The deep web and dark web are frequently confused terms that are used interchangeably but refer to different areas of the internet. The deep web is a portion of the internet that many people access every day without even realizing it. The dark web, however, is associated with criminal activity and is what most people think of when they hear about hidden websites only accessible with special technology. Many times, people use the term deep web mistakenly to refer to the dark web.

The dark web is a small portion of the deep web. Both are made up of encrypted websites. The internet as most web users understand it is referred to as the world wide web, the web, and by deep web users as surface web or clearnet. The surface web is the portion of the internet that is visible and accessible to everyone using common web browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. The surface web is indexed by search engines like Google and has hundreds of billions of webpages. The deep web is not indexed at all and is much larger.

What is The Deep Web?

The deep web is a portion of the internet that is not indexed by search engines like Google, Bing, or Baidu. It is hidden by layers of security from surface web users. The deep web is also called the invisible web or hidden web. Some are known as Onion sites because of the Tor network. It is estimated that the deep web is about 500 times larger than the surface web.

What is the Deep Web Used For?

The deep web is a broad term for any part of the internet that is not for public view, but it is not as mysterious as the name implies. Your email provider, like Gmail or Microsoft Outlook email are part of the deep web. So are the web pages on your financial accounts or any web page you use to access personal information like a medical office web portal. If you go to your Google Pay account to check if you have payment methods saved, that is also part of the deep web. Most deep web websites require a password or other login credentials. Online services that subscribers pay for like streaming video or news services are hidden from the public and thus part of the deep web too.

What is The Dark Web?

The dark web is also hidden and also refers to portions of the internet that are not indexed by search engines and cannot be accessed using standard web browsers like Google Chrome, Apple Safari, or Mozilla Firefox. The sites are anonymously hosted and accessible if you know how to find them. Unlike the deep web, the dark web is associated with criminal activity. The dark web is a small part of the deep web that hosts websites that sell hacked personal data and credit cards, malware, identity theft, illegal drugs, and firearms sales. Although illegal activity can occur anywhere on the surface web, deep web, or darknet.

Other names for the dark web include darknet. Silk Road, AlphaBay, Pirate Bay were all famous dark web marketplaces. Silk Road dealt in illegal drugs and operated as a Tor hidden service.

Both the dark web and the deep web require specific, although readily available, web browsers to access them. Tor Browser and Brave Browser can be used for accessing surface websites as well as dark websites. Some sites may require virtual private networks (VPN) or authorization to access them. Deep web websites and darknets exist on small peer-to-peer networks, as well as larger networks like Tor and Freenet operated by organizations.

What is Tor Web Browser Illegal?

Tor Browser is a web browser used to access the surface web privately and also for accessing the deep web. Tor was created by the U.S. Navy and is still funded by the US Government. It can be used in countries that surveil and censor web traffic. Tor Browser is a popular choice for privacy advocates because it blocks third-party trackers including advertiser’s tracking. Web cookies are automatically cleared when a Tor session is closed. It also works for anyone who wants unrestricted use of the internet.

Deep web servers that are configured to only receive inbound connections from Tor Browser are called onion services and make up the Tor network of peer-to-peer servers. Onion sites are accessed through an onion address using Tor Browser. The URL does not reveal the server’s IP address which would give away its location.

Is Tor Web Browser Illegal?

It is not illegal to access the deep web or to use the Tor Browser. Without a VPN, your internet service provider will know that you are using Tor, Brave or any browser that you use on their network. It is, however, to engage in illegal activity no matter where you re on the web.

You need to know a bit about how to find a deep web website. Sometimes the onion URL is published. For example, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recently started a deep web website. See the CIA onion site at ciadotgov4sjwlzihbbgxnqg3xiyrg7so2r2o3lt5wz5ypk4sxyjstad.onion There is, of course, an onion wiki to help you find deep web websites since they are not indexed by Google. Go to The Hidden Wiki at this onion URL: http://zqktlwi4fecvo6ri.onion/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Michelle Dvorak

Michelle writes about cyber security, data privacy focusing on social media privacy as well as how to protect your IoT devices. She has worked in internet technology for over 20 years and owns METRONY, LLC. Michelle earned a B.S. in Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Michelle published a guide to Cyber Security for Business Travelers

www.metrony.com/

Dark Web Wall Street Market Shut Down by Feds

2019-05-06 by Michelle Dvorak

Dark Web Site Wall Street Market Shut Down in Multinational Investigation

Wall Street Market (WSM), a dark web marketplace, was shut down as the result of a multinational investigation. Four cyber criminals were arrested. Cybercrime investigators from the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands announced the arrest of three Germans and a Brazilian man. Wall Street Market is one of the world’s largest dark web sites. The site facilitates the sale of hacked data, illegal drugs, weapons, malware, and counterfeit goods.

Wall Street Market is the darknet marketplace successor to German Plaza 2.0 which launched in 2015. Its administrators charged a two six percent commission on each transaction. Users paid in Bitcoin or other crypto currencies to avoid detection.

Three German residents were arrested and detained by German police. The three defendants were charged by the United States for felony counts of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and distribution and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. They also face charges in Germany. Arrested were a 23-year-old resident of Kleve, Germany; a 31-year-old resident of Wurzburg, Germany; and a 29-year-old resident of Stuttgart, Germany.

Marcos Paulo De Oliveira-Annibale, 29, of Sao Paulo, Brazil faces US Federal drug distribution and money laundering charges. He was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Sacramento, California. Oliviera-Annibale mediated disputes between vendors and their customers and acted as a public relations agent for Wall Street Market.

The three men also planned an exit strategy which is common with darknet marketplaces. Site operators pre-plan a way to extract money from accounts in the event of police action. Prosecutors believe approximately $11 million of crypto currency held in escrow by Wall Street Market as well as money in user accounts was funneled to the three men’s own accounts. According to Krebs on Security, a Wall Street Market administer is also attempting to extort money from former buyers and sellers. The scammer threatens to publicly disclose transaction details unless the account holder pays a fee.

What is the Wall Street Market?

Wall Street Market, sometimes referred to as WSM, was a three-year online marketplace operating on the dark web. Wall Street Market was available in six languages with about 5,400 sellers and 1.15 million buyers. The site specializes in digital goods including hacked data and malware. However, the site also sold fake documents, illegal drugs, and weapons.

What is the Dark Web?

The dark web is a term used to describe websites not known to or easily accessible by the general public. The internet and websites that the public uses daily are referred to as the surface web. This includes commonly known, legitimate websites, apps, and shopping sites belonging to reputable businesses. Commonly known dark web marketplaces are Sil Road and AplhaBay.

How Do You Access the Dark Web?

The dark web, also called darknet, are accessible only through browsers such as Tor browser. People commonly use virtual private networks or VPNs for anonymity. Darknet websites and marketplaces are not illegal to access. However, most of them are dealing with stolen data, drugs, weapons, and illegal goods or services. So, while it is not illegal to access the dark web, it is illegal to carry out criminal activity.

Dark Web Markets

Dark web or darknet markets are e-commerce websites located on hidden services. While shopping websites the general public is familiar with are located on what is termed the visible or surface web, e-commerce websites like Wall Street market are hidden from public view on the dark web also called the darknet. To access these dark web sites, buyers and sellers must be aware of their existence and also have some technical knowledge and computer applications to connect to them. Many users use VPNs to connect in order to conceal their identity.

Pure VPN Logo

Web Site Wall Street is the latest dark web e-commerce site to be taken down by authorities. AlphaBay was shut down in 2017. The most well-known dark web site was Silk Road which operated from 2011 to 2013. The operator, Ross Ulbricht, was convicted and sentenced to two life terms.

Top Five Dark Web Markets Seized by Law Enforcement

Valhalla Market
Silk Road 2.0 (the successor is Silk Road 3.0)
Wall Street Market
The Pirate Market
AlphaBay Market

Michelle Dvorak

www.metrony.com/

What is the Dark Web?

2019-01-03 by Michelle Dvorak

What is the Dark Web, Darknet, or Deep Web?

Dark web is a broad term that refers to areas on the internet that cannot be accessed on standard web browsers like Google Chrome or Apple Safari. The dark web is essentially a collection of unindexed websites that allow people to use the internet anonymously. Many times it is used to sell and traffic illegal goods and services. Due to recent advancements, law enforcement has been able to gain some ground and shut down some major dark web sites. The dark web is not a single area of the internet.

Many people think the dark web refers to a certain web browser or domain name on the internet. It requires an onion browser or Tor browser to access a dark web site. You need to know the IP address of the site you want to go to. Other names for the dark web include the darknet or deep web.

Dark web sites are almost always set up for conducting illegal business activities. Dark web has become a blanket term for internet websites that conduct illegal business.

Dark websites do not usually show up on Google.com or other web searches. That’s because the dark websites don’t use domain names like PinTalk.net, They use their IP addresses to help hide their identities and so they can change servers quickly if needed. Major search engines also ban them and remove them from search queries when to do show up in search results. So sometimes, a dark web site may show in a web browser search, but not usually.

Dark web sites use masked IP addresses to maintain privacy for users and its website owners and to avoid being caught. Darknet sites are accessible by IP addresses, by using a Tor browser using the onion protocol. You may need a key to enter a deep web area and when you do get in, you cannot see more than necessary. The dark web can also be Dropboxes, Google docs, or ordinary web servers accessible by IP.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are common ways to pay for goods and services on the dark web.

The dark web is notorious for selling illegal goods. Physical goods such as illegal drugs and firearms are for sale. The dark web is an exchange for human trafficking. Stolen goods such as hacked credit cards, passwords, and banking information is also put up for sale on the deep web. Hackers sell their services and apps as well.

What is a Tor browser?

Tor browsers are used for anonymous web surfing. They hide the identity of the user by splitting the web traffic up between Tor users’ machines. Unlike ordinary internet web browsing, web traffic does not route from servers to one computer. Instead, the web traffic travels from the router then randomly through the Tor browser network to the final user. Each Tor browser works to download bytes of information and parts of pages for everyone using it.

For dark web browsing, it is better to use a VPN than a Tor browser. Snowden revealed that the NSA compromised Tor and can use it to track down criminals. A VPN offers protection from ad servers and tracking cookies.

It is not illegal to download or use a Tor browser as long as you don’t buy anything illegal.

Michelle Dvorak