Dark web
What Is The Dark Web?
The “dark web” is a part of the world wide web that requires special software to access. Once inside, web sites and other services can be accessed through a browser in much the same way as the normal web.
However, some sites are effectively “hidden”, in that they have not been indexed by a search engine and can only be accessed if you know the address of the site. Special markets also operate within the dark web called, “darknet markets”, which mainly sell illegal products like drugs and firearms, paid for in the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
There is even a crowdfunded “Assassination Market”, where users can pay towards having someone assassinated.
Because of the the dark web’s almost total anonymity, it has been the place of choice for groups wanting to stay hidden online from governments and law enforcement agencies. On the one hand there have been whistleblowers using the dark web to communicate with journalists, but more frequently it has been used by paedophile groups, terrorists and criminals to keep their dealings secret.
Going Dark
There are a number of ways to access the dark web, including the use of Tor, Freenet and I2P. Of these, the most popular is Tor (originally called The Onion Router), partly because it is one of the easiest software packages to use. Tor downloads as a bundle of software that includes a version of Firefox configured specifically to use Tor.
Tor provides secrecy and anonymity by passing messages through a network of connected Tor relays, which are specially configured computers. As the message hops from one node to another, it is encrypted in a way that each relay only knows about the machine that sent the message and the machine it is being sent to.
Rather than conventional web addresses, Tor uses “onion” addresses, which further obsure the content. There are even special versions of search engines like Bing and Duck Duck Go that will return onion addresses for Tor services.
It is a mistake to think that Tor is entirely anonymous. If a web site is accessed, it can still potentially find out information about whoever is accessing the site because of information that is shared, such as usernames and email addresses. Those wanting to stay completely anonymous have to use special anonymity services to hide their identity in these cases.
Services on the dark web would not have been as popular without a means of paying for them. This is something that Bitcoin has made possible. A recent study by Carnegie Mellon researchers Kyle Soska and Nicolas Christin has calculated that drug sales on the dark net total US$100 million a year. Most, if not all, was paid for in Bitcoin.
Bitcoin is made even more difficult to track on the dark web through the use of “mixing services” like Bitcoin Laundry, which enables Bitcoin transactions to be effectively hidden completely.
How ‘Dark’ Is The Dark Web?
The developers of Tor and organisations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF argue that the principal users of Tor are activists and people simply concerned with maintaining their privacy. Certainly, Tor has been used in the past for journalists to talk to whistleblowers and activists, including Edward Snowden).
However, even a cursory glance at the Hidden Wiki – the main index of dark websites – reveals that the majority of sites listed are concerned with illegal activities. Some of these sites are scams, and so it is not clear how easy it is to buy guns, fake passports and hire hackers from the services listed. But there are likely sites on the dark web where these things are entirely possible.
Although the dark web makes law enforcement agencies’ jobs much more difficult, they have had a great deal of success in bringing down sites and arresting their users and the people behind them. The most famous of these was the arrest of Ross Ulbricht, the person behind the most well known of the drug markets, Silk Road.
More recently, the FBI’s arrest of two users of a child abuse site on the dark web highlighted that they are now able to use a range of techniques to unmask Tor users’ real internet addresses.
David Glance is Director of UWA Centre for Software Practice at University of Western Australia
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
How To Access Notorious Dark Web Anonymously
Are you trying to find out how to access the dark web and what is it?
Well, look no further, we have gone and done the research so we could show you step by step the best and safest way how to access the dark net.
We cover everything, from setting up Tor, how to choose a VPN, what not to do, finding the best sites to access, and extra steps to remain anonymous.
It is extremely easy to access the dark web and even easier to be detected on it if you don’t take precautions. If you are new to the darknet, this guide will help you on your way.
According to researchers, only 4% of the internet is visible to the general public.
Meaning that the remaining 96% of the internet is made up of “The Deep Web”.
Dark Web or Dark Net is a subset of the Deep Web where there are sites that sell drugs, hacking software, counterfeit money and more. We explain this further down the article if you are not up to speed.
If you are looking to access hidden marketplace’s or darknet websites (with a .onion domain) then dark web access is done using the TOR network with the TOR browser bundle. TOR is the most widely used dark web browser.
How To Access The Dark Web Guide
Step 1: Go and get yourself a good VPN (Virtual Private Network) here , use it ALL of the time, no matter if you are on TOR or not. This site herereviews the best VPN’s for use with TOR.
You should be taking your anonymity and security very seriously if you are visiting the Dark Net, especially if you are viewing any Darknet Markets.
Do not fool yourself and think that the ISP’s (Internet Service Providers) and Law Enforcement are not trying to track those who use Tor to access the Dark Web, they are, and they are good at it so don’t make it easy for them.
It should be brought to your attention that there was a recent Tor vulnerability which leaked your REAL IP address leading back to your real location. If you already have the Tor Browser then UPDATE it immediately. Vulnerabilities like these are happening more often to Tor.
By using the simple VPN app, your darknet activities will be hidden from your ISP and government agencies as all of your internet usage will be encrypted. No one will even know you are using TOR, let alone browsing for darknet markets.
What’s even better is that the VPN will give you a fake IP address, in another country if you like, so even if Tor is compromised then the trace just leads back to somewhere else that can’t be linked to you.
The other benefit of using a VPN is to prevent hackers stealing your identity and or personal files and photos from your computer.
You need to use a good VPN that keeps NO LOGS, fast performance, preferably accepts bitcoin as payment, has a kill switch for DNS leaks, and is compatible with TOR.
Then install your VPN, if you buy one of the better VPN’s then it is usually just a one click install and one or two clicks to turn it on.
Step 2: You can’t access the deepweb just using a common browser like Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. To get dark net access you will need to download the dark web browser called TOR browser bundle. Only get it from the official TOR website, never download it from anywhere else!
Now close all of your browsing windows and all apps connecting to the world wide web like Google Drive, Skype, OneDrive, iCloud etc.
Then open your VPN app and connect to another location other than where you are at, make sure to use the OpenVPN protocol as it is the most secure.
Open up your normal favorite browser and then download TOR
TOR Official Website: https://www.torproject.org/download/download.html
Step 3: Install the TOR browser bundle on your PC or Mac. When the download is complete, double-click the downloaded file, choose the destination folder (the folder where you want to extract tor browser), and choose extract.
Step 4: Start TOR Browser. Open the folder where you extracted TOR browser and double-click “Start Tor Browser”. The TOR start page will open in a browser window (it’s actually a portable version of FireFox stripped down).
From here, you now have a good level of anonymity and security and you are able to gain access to .onion websites through your dark web browser.
Congratulations…
Next, you will want to visit a dark web site.
Now you have dark net access visit some of the best black market websites on the DeepWeb.
If you do want to check out some darknet markets then you should follow the guide for that specific market as it will show you step by step what to do to sign up, browse etc.
If you are looking for the biggest list of hidden deep web links go hereso you can find exactly what you are looking for. (some also call them dark web links). We have compiled one of the biggest lists of tested .onion sites on the dark net complete with a search function, website name, description, categories, site status and even a screenshot of the landing page so you can see if your site is online or dead.
If you are looking for the biggest list of hidden deep web links go hereso you can find exactly what you are looking for. (some also call them dark web links). We have compiled one of the biggest lists of tested .onion sites on the dark net complete with a search function, website name, description, categories, site status and even a screenshot of the landing page so you can see if your site is online or dead.
Now we have shown you how to access the dark web we have some very important tips to share…
Bitcoin and Buying on the Dark Web:
If you are on the dark net to buy something, and most of us are, then you will need to use cryptocurrency to do so and Bitcoin is the most used cryptocurrency on the dark web.
Buying cryptocurrencies is another topic altogether, so we won’t go into it here but this site has made an easy to follow guide on buying bitcoin, but we will give you one GOLDEN tip on how to go under the radar and not have your crypto exchange account shut down and lose money.
NEVER send cryptocurrency directly from your exchange account (where you buy the coins) to a market or anywhere on the dark web, also never send coins directly from anywhere on the dark net to your exchange. They are onto this right away as they can tell where the coins came from and they WILL shut you down and you will be recorded in a list for sure.
You must send your coins from your exchange to a wallet (find out how to in the guides) then from the wallet to the dark web and vice-versa.
Hacking on the Dark Web:
There are a lot of dark web users that are hackers and there are even more users that want to become hackers. The dark web is the hacker’s playground, so if you don’t know what you are doing then you need to be extra careful and take the precautions we mention very seriously, like using a VPN, covering your webcam, using very good usernames and passwords etc.
If you are wanting to become a hacker then we have found a great course to teach you how to become a hacker. We even lined up a 74% discount for you. Just click the link below.
The hacking course will teach you tons of things like:
- Penetration testing
- Create fake WiFi Networks
- Crack WEP/WPAWPA2 encryptions
- Launch man in the middle attacks
- Gain control over other computer systems
- Backdoor programs
- Exploit vulnerabilities
- ARP Spoofing/ARP Poisoning
- And much much more.
Bonus Security Steps For the DarkNet:
Step 5: DO NOT change the TOR browser window size unless you like living dangerously. The FEDS have programs that can match identities on random things such and matching time online and other things with the browser window size, I shit you not. If you don’t change the size then it is the same as most other people.
Step 6: Please remember that TOR isn’t necessarily 100% anonymous, you should turn off JavaScript within the dark web browser settings to help.
Step 7: Disconnect your webcam or block the camera with some black tape. Hackers and governments have ways of getting into your computer and turning on the video and cameras.
You can have intimate images of you be used as blackmail or extortion, or even worse, used by the feds.
Step 8: Disconnect your microphone or cover it with tape to muffle it good. The same goes for the microphone as the camera, the last thing you want is to be recorded saying incriminating things at home. It doesn’t even have to be while on the dark net. Even the Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg does it as he knows the dangers.
Step 9: NEVER use your real name, photos, email, or even password that you have used before on the dark web. This is the fastest way to be tracked. Use an anonymous email account and aliases that have nothing to do with you that you have never used before.
Step 10: If you are using TOR on the dark web for anything other than looking at cute pictures of kittens, you should think seriously about your privacy and security. Jolly Roger has put together a comprehensive guide on how to stay safe on the deep web, view the guide here.
If you have read through this how to access the darknet guide and thought to yourself WTF? Then you are probably new to this and need a bit of background and information to get you up to speed. Please remember to share this post so everyone that wants to have a look on the Dark Web can do so and do it safely.
What is the Clear Web? (Surface Web)
Firstly, there is the Clear Web/Clear Net/Surface Web. This is the normal internet / world wide web where you do everyday things like check Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter and buy things from Amazon etc. All websites and web pages that a search engine like Google can find are on the Clear Net.
What is the Deep Web?
Then we have the Deep Web. This is a sub-set of the internet that can not be indexed (found) by search engines like Google. This includes all web pages that are behind membership logins, all company and organization web pages used internally and other data. The majority of the deepweb does not have anything illegal on it.
What is the Dark Web (also called dark net)?
Then we have the Dark Web. This is a sub-set of the Deep Web that contains all sorts of websites, both legal and illegal. The types of sites include black markets that sell things like drugs, counterfeit goods, and weapons, you also have hacking sites, X-rated sites, bitcoin tumbling, and even sites for hitmen. The variety of sites on the Dark Web is quite astonishing. For now there is no dark web search engine that works as well as Google does for the clearnet.
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