What Is Dark Web | Dark Web In Cyber Security | withTRICK

 DARK WEB

The Dark Web is a reality that has existed since the beginning of the internet. While there is a load of information indexed on the web, easily accessible by anyone with internet connectivity irrespective of geography, there is even more information and data that do not come to notice because it is hidden and requires special privileges to access. This unchartered portion of the web is called Dark Web. The dark web refers to encrypted online content that is not indexed by conventional search engines. The dark web is the World Wide Web content.

Sometimes, the dark web is also called the dark net. The dark web is a part of the deep web. Specific browsers, such as Tor Browser, are required to reach the dark web. Using the dark web often provides considerably more privacy than just using Tor to access the web. Many dark web sites simply provide standard web services with more secrecy, which benefits political dissidents and people trying to keep medical conditions private. Unfortunately, online marketplaces for drugs, exchanges for stolen data, and other illegal activities get most of the attention. In many ways, the dark web is much like the broader web was in its early days during the late 20th century. As with the early Internet, the dark web has also gained a reputation as a haven for illegal activities. The dark web, like the web before it, is frequently implicated in horrible crimes, such as child abuse and murder for hire. While the dark web has unfortunately played a hand in both illegal and unethical transactions.

How Is Dark Web Different From Web

Information on the dark web is not defined by regulations and content policies. Moreover, web pages serving information on the dark web do not appear on search engines result pages (SERP) like those from Google and Bing because they are hidden and not indexed. Therefore, the dark web includes information that is not easily accessible by everyone. Besides, the web pages serving information on the dark web are marked unsafe by browsers and do not open on Chrome, Firefox, Opera, etc.

● Also read : What is Google

What Is There On Dark Web

Dark Web is home to all sorts of information but it has gained bad reputation because of prevalence of widespread illegal content such as illicit pornography, sale of black market drugs, sale of illegal firearms, illegally acquired users’ database, etc. The availability of such content of illegal nature makes the dark web a suitable place for criminals. However, it is not just for criminals; journalists can use it to gather information from sources without risking their identity, whistleblowers can use it to expose corporate and government corruption, etc.

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Is Dark Web illegal

While accessing the Dark Web is not illegal, its use to acquire illegal content and procure prohibited items is. For example, surfing the dark web is legal but procuring pirated copies of movies and games is illegal. Similarly, accessing information is not illegal unless the information is classified and crucial to the nation's security. Using Dark Web to access illicit content like child pornography, and procure prohibited items like drugs and guns is also illegal.

 

How To Safely Access Dark Web

To access dark web, one needs a specialised software with peer-to-peer networking support built-in besides other browser features. Currently, there are two software that support these – Tor ("The Onion Routing" project) and I2P ("Invisible Internet Project"). These are web browsers with added tools to encrypt web traffic for safety and security. It is possible to access the dark web anonymously through these software. Moreover, virtual private network (VPN) service adds another layer of security here. However, these software offer no fool-proof protection and one must be careful accessing dark web. As best practice, it is evoked not to reveal real identity on the dark web. Moreover, one should not use banking and other financial services through these software.

● Also read :  What Is The Internet

Bitcoin Services

Bitcoin services such as tumblers are often available on Tor, and some – such as Grams – offer darknet market integration. A research study undertaken by Jean-Loup Richet, a research fellow at ESSEC, and carried out with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, highlighted new trends in the use of Bitcoin tumblers for money laundering purposes. With Bitcoin, people can hide their intentions as well as their identity. A common approach was to use a digital currency exchanger service which converted Bitcoin into an online game currency (such as gold coins in World of Warcraft) that will later be converted back into money.

Darknet Markets 

Commercial darknet markets, which mediate transactions for illegal drugs and other goods, attracted significant media coverage, starting with the popularity of Silk Road and Diabolus Market and its subsequent seizure by legal authorities. Other markets sell software exploits and weapons.

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Terrorism

There are at least some real and fraudulent websites claiming to be used by ISIL (ISIS), including a fake one seized in Operation Onymous. With the increase of technology, it has allowed cyber terrorists to flourish by attacking the weaknesses of the technology. In the wake of the November 2015 Paris attacks, an actual such site was hacked by an Anonymous-affiliated hacker group, GhostSec, and replaced with an advert for Prozac. The Rawti Shax Islamist group was found to be operating on the dark web at one time.

7 Tips For Safe Access To The Dark Web :

1. Trust your intuition
2. Detach your online persona from real life
3. Explicitly avoid dark web file downloads
4. Employ active monitoring of identify and financial theft
5. Disable ActiveX and Java in any available network settings
6. Use a secondary non-admin local user account for all daily activities
7. Always restrict access to your Tor-enableddevice