The dark web is a part of the internet that is intentionally hidden and is inaccessible through standard web browsers. It is often associated with illegal activities, but it also has legitimate uses. In this article, we will explore what the dark web is, how it works, and what you can find on it.
What is the Dark Web?
Contents
The dark web is a network of websites that are not indexed by search engines and cannot be accessed through standard web browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. These websites are hosted on darknets, such as Tor, I2P, and Freenet, which use encryption and anonymity tools to hide the identity of users and website owners.
The dark web is often confused with the deep web, which is simply the part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines. While the deep web includes databases, academic journals, and other content that is not accessible to the general public, the dark web is intentionally hidden and requires special software to access.
At LifeRaft, we know from talking to hundreds of corporate security professionals that many organizations fail to collec… In attempting to access the Dark Web, there’s an invisible line that a person acknowledges they’re crossing – or maybe they don’t. Either way, no one is accessing the Dark Web with a sense of optimism and happiness. To maintain strong passwords, consider changing passwords every six months and creating passwords that don’t use easy-to-find information such as birthdays or your children’s names.
Darknet Markets
The deep web is an umbrella term for parts of the internet not fully accessible using standard search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. The contents of the deep web range from pages that were not indexed by search engines, paywalled sites, private databases and the dark web. We often mention the dark web in our blogs, typically when the conversation turns to identity theft, data breaches, and stolen personal information. The open web, also called the surface web, includes any public web content that is indexed by search engines. Web pages on the open web will show up in search results on sites like Google and Bing. While a large volume of traffic visits on the open web every day, it only represents 4% of the content on the internet.
How Does the Dark Web Work?
See how cybercriminals profit from your personal information on the Dark Web. Learn how to protect your data from financial fraud and identity theft. That said, anonymity comes with a dark side since criminals and malicious hackers also prefer to operate in the shadows.
Dark Web Content
To access the dark web, you need to use a darknet, which is a network that is designed to provide anonymity and privacy to its users. The most popular darknet is Tor, which stands for The Onion Router. Tor uses a system of volunteer-operated servers, called nodes, to route internet traffic through a series of encrypted layers, making it difficult to trace the origin of the traffic.
What is dark web in Google?
The dark web is an encrypted portion of the internet not visible to the general public via a traditional search engine such as Google. Also known as the darknet, the dark web constitutes a large part of illegal activity on the internet.
To access a dark web website, you need to know its URL, which is usually a string of random characters followed by the .onion top-level domain. These URLs are not easy to remember, so they are often shared through forums, chat rooms, and other channels on the dark web.
What Can You Find on the Dark Web?
The dark web has a reputation for being a haven for illegal activities, such as drug trafficking, weapons sales, and hacking. While it is true that these activities exist on the dark web, it is important to note that they are not unique to this part of the internet. The dark web simply provides a layer of anonymity that makes it easier for criminals to operate.
- This allows you to create more accurate insights from the entire security stack.
- This is because the dark web has anonymous users, several layers of encryption, and no customer service.
- This includes snuff films, child pornography, hitmen for hire, hackers, and much worse.
- To access a dark web address, you must use a VPN and a suitable browser (it should be Tor).
However, the dark web also has legitimate uses. For example, it is used by journalists, activists, and whistleblowers to communicate and share information safely and privately. It is also used by people who live in repressive regimes to access information that is censored by their governments.
Unwitting users then share sensitive personal information by falsely believing that these communications are legitimate. By monitoring the dark web, security teams can gain information that will enable them to stay ahead of the threats. For instance, knowing if an organization’s data has been leaked can help security analysts change the relevant credentials and secure their systems before an attack occurs. It is worth noting that some pages on the deep web contain valuable personal data to cybercriminals. Securing this data prevents it from being compromised and possibly showing up for sale on the dark web.
Who created the dark web?
The dark web is known to have begun in 2000 with the release of Freenet, the thesis project of University of Edinburgh student Ian Clarke, who set out to create a "Distributed Decentralised Information Storage and Retrieval System." Clarke aimed to create a new way to anonymously communicate and share files online.
Conclusion
Dark Web sites are not viewable on standard browsers like Chrome or Safari—accessing Dark Web sites requires a special browser. Anonymity protocols are standard practice for Dark Web users; traffic is often more heavily encrypted, and sometimes routed through proxy servers. Taken together, these techniques make it very difficult (but not impossible) to trace a Dark Web user’s location and activity. This heightened attention to security and anonymity is what characterizes the Dark Web. The dark web can be a murky and complex world to navigate, but it’s important for both individuals and organizations to be aware of its existence and potential impact on their cybersecurity.
The dark web is a part of the internet that is intentionally hidden and requires special software to access. While it is often associated with illegal activities, it also has legitimate uses. Whether you are a journalist, an activist, or simply someone who values their privacy, the dark web can provide a safe and anonymous space to communicate and share information.
Is my email address on the dark web?
However, you can use a few tools to find out whether your email address has appeared on the dark web. For instance, you can use the NordPass Data Breach Scanner to monitor your email addresses and credit card details. Having your data exposed during a leak is a strong indication that it's present on the dark web.
