[ Dark Web ] [ Surface Web ] [ Deep Web ] [ Illegal & Criminal activities ] [ Importance ] [ Investigation ]

What is the Dark Web?

The dark web is simply a part of the  World Wide Web. The dark web uses networks called darknets. You need different software and setups to access the dark web anonymously.

In fact, you cannot reach the dark web by using traditional search engines such as Google, Bing, etc.

To access the dark web you need to use Tor (The Onion Router) or I2P (Invisible Internet Project) types of technology. The dark web is intentionally hidden. To search the deep web or dark web, you must use special deep web search engines.

In addition to the above, the traffic on the dark web is encrypted and communications are private. This is why it attracts criminal operators and other entities who prefer to work in the shade, unseen or difficult to trace. Cybercriminals and organized crime are increasingly using the dark web to conduct illicit business.

• it is an ‘underground’ medium
• it distributes harmful information
• activities on the dark web are practically untraceable

In all honesty – as a research tool – the dark web contains a treasure trove of dark data & OSINT.

The Surface Web

The surface web is different from the dark web. The surface web is called the Indexed Web, Indexable Web or Lightnet), where you find public information via search engines & systems such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, Yandex, Baidu, Wikipedia, etc.

The Deep Web

Take note that the dark web forms a tiny part of the deep web.

The deep web is not entirely indexed by search engines. Only what you can find on it is somewhat indicated, but to access it you need special browsers and configurations. Estimates state that the deep web is about 500+ times bigger than the surface web.

Hence the comparison with floating icebergs, whose main mass is under the surface. It’s difficult to measure in petabytes how big the deep is, exactly because most of its content is inaccessible. In 2001 data scientists estimated it would be 8+ petabytes big. We are now in 2022. Imagine the size…

Examples of Deep Web:

What is the Deep Web?

The deep web is the ‘invisible’ part of the web (aka the “hidden” web or “invisible” web). We call it the hidden web because this content is not indexed by the typical search engines (Google, Bing, Yandex, etc…) who index basically everything that their spiders & bots find on the public internet, the surface web.

The content of the deep web however hides behind forms, firewalls consisting of webmail, online banking systems, private databases, restricted access to social media pages and profiles, and web forums. You either have to register to see the content or pay for it.

Information you can find on the Deep Web

Illegal & Criminal activities on the Dark Web / Dark Net

On its own, the dark web is not illegal, but most of the activity that occurs on the dark web is illegal or at least objectionable. Many criminal enterprises have thus established their presence on the dark web.

Hackers who might have infiltrated a company or organization’s network to extract data can sell this on the dark web. On the dark web (essentially a marketplace for cybercriminals), you will find many illegal marketplaces, illegal websites, and other illicit “things”, illegal activities happening such as:

Types of Illegal activities

You will also find “arenas”; forums where hackers expose and discuss vulnerabilities. In stage 2 this intelligence is then sold anonymously to global buyers.

The threat to corporations and organizations is immense and an ever-growing concern. The cyber threat is imminent also. Once you have been the victim of a data breach or ransomware attack, the catastrophic financial and reputational consequences become clear very fast.

Why do the DarkWeb and Deep Web matter?

Imagine if employees are logged into the dark web, using office computers buying illegal things on the dark web. This would just be a minor thing as compared to the other major dark web exploitation issues that can hit your company.

What would happen if people who are under your care participate in illegal behavior? If your staff were to participate in dark web forums, which involve making threats of hate speech, or criminal conduct. What are the consequences? How to prevent all this? What detection mechanisms do you have in place?

What if your own credit card details, bank account information, social security numbers, and PID are released on the dark web? Did you even notice this? What actions can you take, should you (not) take?

The exploitation of company data on the dark web has consequences:

• failure to protect your company data & exposure on the dark web (accountability)
• damage to consumer confidence and other business relationships
• failure to comply with rules leads to legal issues or regulatory fines
• customer loyalty damage
• difficulty in establishing trust and securing new deals & business partnerships
• adversaries will buy your stolen data and others will gain a competitive advantage 
• huge reputational damage to companies brand and trust your organization
• social media coverage of the disaster might go viral 
• once you have been exploited, you could be considered an insecure company, an easy target for other cyberattacks or exploits.
• high expenses in setting up proper security and investigate

Professional Dark Net / Deep Web Investigators

If you have been ‘exposed’ already on the dark web, we don’t recommend doing these types of investigations on your own. Because it might lead to further disasters & extended exposure. How do you know by the way if your communication system is not totally compromised? Hence it would be useless or dangerous to keep using it to document the findings of an investigation… This does not mean you should not be aware of the dangers of the dark web and educate yourself. In the end, you will need to protect your people, your organization, and your company against these dark web threats and related cyber-attacks.

Investigations into the dark web, require a secure setup. AR INTELL can assist Crime Investigators, National Security Investigators, Narcotics investigators, and Government and Police Investigators using open source (OSINT) analytics to study what happens on the Dark Net or Dark Web.