According to Chainalysis’ 2025 Crypto Crime Report, darknet market (DNM) vendors are adapting their money laundering tactics. While centralized exchanges (CEXs) remain the dominant cash-out method, a notable shift has been toward decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. Dark web forums are online platforms that can only be accessed using anonymous networks, mainly Tor…. The trend observed in 2023, where services offering antivirus (AV) evasion for malware (cryptors), is expected to persist into 2024.
The Hidden Wiki
They now have dedicated staff, customer service departments, and even escrow services to ensure that transactions are secure. With more intense pressure from law enforcement, being extorted by other threat actors, and changes in personal circumstances, it’s clear that many dark web market admins and owners feel the risks are too great. It seems the older the market, the more likely these factors account for its closure.
Secure Drug Trade On Darknet With Market Lists And URLs
Darknet markets have been a hot topic of discussion for years, and it seems that they will continue to be so in 2024. These underground marketplaces, which operate on the dark web, allow users to buy and sell illicit goods and services anonymously. In this article, we will explore the current state of darknet markets, and what we can expect to see in 2024.
High-quality malware with a slightly lower success rate went for $1,500–$1,600 (depending on the target region), and medium-quality malware with a 70% success rate sold for up to $700. Dark Web statistics show that all marketplaces had a combined daily revenue of $4.2 million shortly before Hydra was shut down in April 2022. Only days later, the remaining marketplaces managed a total of $447,000 — a staggering 89.4% decline.
FAQ: More About Onion Sites
Onion sites are websites on the dark web that use the “.onion” top-level domain instead of “.com,” “.net,” “.gov,” etc. Onion sites use The Onion Router (Tor) software to encrypt their connections and enable anonymous communication. Connection issues are almost always solved by finding, and then using, a verified link to a mirror. Darknet markets — also known as cryptomarkets — provide a largely anonymous platform for trading in a range of illicit goods and services. Accessing the dark web can only be done using specific browsers, such as TOR Browser.
What Is The Most Popular Darknet Marketplace In 2025?
Mega Market, established in 2016, experienced a surge in popularity following the takedown of the Hydra market. The most important key figures provide you with a compact summary of the topic of “The dark web” and take you straight to the corresponding statistics. KEY TAKEAWAYS Whether you are using Android or iPhone, you can easily access the dark web on your ph… Always use a fake name and a temporary email address when you buy something from dark net shops. You can even use a secure email provider or a burner email address whenever you visit the dark web. Get the latest in privacy news, tips, tricks, and security guides to level-up your digital security.
Cybersecurity Awareness Explained: Importance & Best Tips 2025
In 2013, the FBI shut down the Silk Road, but it was later relaunched in 2014 with the new name of Silk Road 2.0, but the German authorities shut it down in the same year. Other than the Silk Road 2.0, similar marketplaces also emerged, but they all went down sooner or later. The website has a sleek design and interactive user interface, making it the most preferred choice in terms of user experience. You can pay through Monera and Bitcoin using the escrow system or the traditional market account after making a purchase on this shop. If you want to buy something, deposit cryptocurrency in your wallet, and you will be charged directly.
Threat Actor Profiles
Credential-based attacks are a form of cyber threat where attackers use stolen or forged credentials to gain unauthorized access to systems and data. These attacks are particularly dangerous as they can bypass many traditional security measures, allowing attackers to impersonate legitimate users and exploit internal systems. The report also revealed that despite a likely record year for overall crypto crime revenue, inflows to darknet markets and fraud shops declined in 2024. Total darknet market revenue fell from $2.3 billion in 2023 to $2 billion in 2024.
- The website has a sleek design and interactive user interface, making it the most preferred choice in terms of user experience.
- It offers impressive features, including PGP-signed addresses, payment via Monera, sticky and featured listings, and auto shops.
- High- and low-tech fraud and scams were prolific in 2024, with high-yield investment scams and pig butchering representing the most successful fraud and scam types.
- Silk Road 2.0 was launched soon after the original Silk Road was seized and since that time there has been a proliferation of darknet markets..
- Despite these efforts, it’s unlikely that darknet markets will disappear anytime soon.
- This marketplace specializes in a variety of illegal products, including drugs, counterfeit documents, and hacking tools.
Drug Trade Statistics
Although some of these markets prohibit certain extreme content such as violence or exploitation, most operate with very few rules beyond ensuring the security and anonymity of their users. There was a significant decline in crypto hacking and scamming revenue, with total illegal proceeds for each down 54% and 29%, respectively. Romance scams remain popular, where scammers build relationships with lonely people to cheat them out of their savings. The scam is harder to uncover because the “investment opportunities” are not publicized. Reports of crypto investment scams are increasing in the US, but data suggests scam proceeds globally have been declining since 2021. It stands to reason that 2024’s illicit cryptocurrency volume will exceed that of 2023.
Vendor and market reviews play a crucial role in informing purchasing decisions, with experienced users often posting detailed evaluations of vendors. Any use of this information for illegal purposes is strictly prohibited and could lead to legal consequences. The authors and the website are not liable for any financial losses or legal issues resulting from the misuse of this information. Freshtools was established in 2019 and offers various stolen credentials, accounts, and host protocols like RDP. It is considered a go-to site for malware purchasing, providing keyloggers, trojans, and other Malware as a Service products. Established in 2019, Russian Market is a well-known and highly regarded data store on the dark web, specializing in the sale of PII and various forms of stolen data.
We recommend using NordVPN as it offers top-notch security features, including dark web threat protection. But not everything is that terrifying, as Deep Web facts show that only 6.7% of Tor’s daily users engage in illegal activity on the Dark Web. The vast majority rely on the Deep Web and the Dark Web to provide them with freedom and anonymity while browsing the internet. More importantly, the darknet is a safe haven for people from countries with oppressive regimes, as it allows them to securely send and receive information and access content that is unavailable where they live. The story of Hydra is yet another in a series of creepy facts about the Dark Web. Back in 2020, this Russian-speaking marketplace was the world’s biggest darknet market.
Quick Links
- In response, darknet market vendors are increasingly shifting their financial activity toward decentralized platforms.
- To look at it in a different way, it makes up between 90% and 95% of the internet.
- The Dutch police have announced the takedown of Bohemia and Cannabia, which has been described as the world’s largest and longest-running dark web market for illegal goods, drugs, and cybercrime services.
- On the other, they remind us of the importance of privacy and the double-edged nature of anonymity tools.
Since the dark web can be accessed through the Tor browser, use a VPN with the Tor browser to ensure increased protection. A VPN hides the fact that you’re using Tor, which is blocked in some countries and always raises doubts because of its criminal reputation. If you only want to mask your IP address and don’t need to access the dark web, then going online with a VPN is much easier and faster than using Tor. Offering books for free, shadow libraries face the morality question of copyright vs. access to information and knowledge.
The online chat feature is useful for getting information about dark web sites — there are only a few users, but they’re very active. I asked them how to surf the dark web securely and I received a helpful reply in just 30 seconds, which told me to only access links from legitimate sites like The Hidden Wiki, use a VPN, and use an antivirus. So, I put together a list of the best dark web sites in 2024 to help you get started.
