Category Archives: Deep Dot web

Dark web markets continue to evolve after big takedowns, Europol says

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The past year has been a transition period for dark web markets, as the illicit e-commerce hubs have been forced to adapt after big takedowns in 2019, according to a new report by Europol. The lifecycles of individual marketplaces have shortened, and “no clear dominant market has risen over the past year,” according to European police agency’s annual Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment for 2020. The marketplaces still represent a “growing threat,” though, as a source for crime-oriented malicious software, drugs and other goods, the report says. After the 2019 takedown of Deep Dot Web — a site that helped users navigate online markets for illegal drugs — dark web users began setting up other information hubs, including dark.fail and darknetlive.com, Europol says. Dread, a forum that has been around for about three years, also continues to operate. While criminals try to keep dark web markets as user-friendly as possible, they also […]

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Hacking forums survive cybercrime dragnet as feds prioritize drug-market busts

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It might be more difficult these days to conduct an anonymous drug deal on the dark web, but not every online criminal enterprise is feeling the pinch of international law enforcement. New research shows that as the FBI and other crime-fighting agencies have gone after dark web markets, cybercrime communities have avoided the heat. Stolen financial information, access to hacked social media accounts and malicious software tools are still widely available on forums accessible on the open web, without using the Tor anonymity software. Among those still operating are the prominent Russian-language marketplace Exploit.in, the “carding” forum Joker’s Stash and Hackforums, which offers guidance on how to become a hacker. Exploit, in particular, has gained nearly 1,000 new accounts over the past six weeks, with current membership at 44,433 user accounts as of May 13, according to research conducted by Digital Shadows exclusively for CyberScoop. The site is “fully gated,” meaning outsiders must pay $100 for […]

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Tracing drug deals and kickbacks, feds arrest alleged operators of Deep Dot Web scheme

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Authorities have arrested two men accused of operating Deep Dot Web, a site that helped people find places to illegally buy drugs online. The website, which has been seized by law enforcement as part of the operation, reaped more than $15 million in illegal proceeds since 2013, the Department of Justice said. Two Israeli men, Tal Prihar and Michael Phan, have been charged for allegedly running a scheme that earned commissions whenever Deep Dot Web visitors subsequently made purchases on dark web markets. “Deep Dot Web provided a one-stop information center for people who were trying to access the dark web,” Scott Brady, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, said in a press conference. “Not only did they provide links to specific dark web marketplaces, but they also provided tutorials to people who were new to this. … All of that, combined with the kickback scheme, made it the first place […]

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