The dark web is a subset of the deep web, which includes all internet content not indexed by standard search engines like Google. Accessible through anonymizing software like Tor or I2P, the dark web offers privacy and secrecy to users. As of 2020, nearly 57% of the dark web was estimated to contain illegal content, including violence and extremist platforms.
Goods And Services Traded On The Dark Web
Australia’s government has stepped up its response to the dark web’s threats. The 2025 Federal Budget earmarked $350 million for cybercrime prevention, with a focus on dark web surveillance and disruption of illegal marketplaces. New legislation has empowered law enforcement agencies to use advanced cyber tools—sometimes controversially—to infiltrate and dismantle criminal operations online. Despite repeated law enforcement crackdowns, dark web marketplaces remain a thriving underground economy in 2025. These marketplaces offer everything from stolen data and exploit kits to illegal narcotics, weapons, and counterfeit documents, often transacted anonymously using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Monero. These platforms cater to specialized criminal sectors, making them more efficient and organized.
Why Dark Web Monitoring Is Critical
Data breaches also present a critical challenge, as stolen credentials allow attackers to infiltrate systems and extract sensitive information, including customer data and trade secrets. These breaches can result in regulatory penalties for failing to comply with frameworks such as GDPR or HIPAA. For example, non-compliance can result in fines of up to 4% of an organization’s global annual revenue. Despite continuous law enforcement crackdowns, dark web marketplaces persist.
Impact Of Law Enforcement Takedowns
They sell these files for just a fraction of the original cost on the surface web or even share freely, which makes them tempting for people looking for shortcuts. While it might be tempting, remember that downloading such content has serious legal and cybersecurity risks. For example, an insider or factory employee might quietly slip away with an unmarked gun and sell it online. Once it lands on a darknet marketplace, it becomes part of the illegal weapons trade.
Dark Web Monitoring Solutions: Detecting Threats Before They Happen
The cybercriminals trade even sensitive documents, such as medical records, passport information, and driver’s licenses. The dark net runs parallel to the internet we use for all of our standard online activities. However, unlike other websites it is only accessible via software like Tor that makes a user’s identity anonymous by routing online communications through several computers and layers of encryption.
The Full List Of Trusted Darknet Markets:
The dark web is a portion of the internet accessible only via special anonymity-preserving networks like Tor. It differs from the deep web, which includes unindexed content (e.g., behind logins) but is not inherently illicit. 🧩 These statistics reveal the scale, anonymity, and sophistication of dark web operations—and why proactive dark web monitoring is no longer optional.
Total Estimated Number Of onion Sites In 2025
The Dark Web presents significant cybersecurity risks for businesses, as stolen credentials, intellectual property, and sensitive data are frequently traded on illicit marketplaces. Cybersecurity professionals actively monitor these underground forums to identify leaked corporate information, using automated web crawlers, threat intelligence platforms, and Dark Web monitoring services. This approach enables businesses to conduct cybersecurity risk assessments and mitigate potential threats before they escalate into financial losses or compliance violations.
Since Silk Road
The NSW and Victorian police forces declined to comment specifically on news.com.au’s research, but both said they were aware of Australia’s online drug trade. By data mining listings on the leading Dark Web marketplace, Agora, news.com.au can reveal that Australian dealers offered more than 9000 individual listings of drugs during the seven-day period analysed. Bitsight’s 2025 deep web intelligence shows how cybercriminals are multiplying, diversifying—and getting smarter. If we need to assess where things are heading, we think that it’s in a bumpy direction. The proliferation of ransomware groups means that they are increasing faster than law enforcement can shut them down, and their focus on smaller organizations means that anyone may be a target. Meanwhile, the geopolitical climate — filled with fear, uncertainty, and doubt — creates a fertile breeding ground for cyberwarfare, cybercrime, and hacktivism.
NightSpire Ransomware Group Claims To Exploit The Vulnerabilities Of Orgs To Infiltrate Their Systems
The most traded data includes stolen credentials, credit card information, government IDs, malware kits, RDP access, fullz (complete identity profiles), and medical records. The Drugs and New Technologies project (under the auspices of the Drug Trends program) at the NDARC has been monitoring darknet markets since 2013, and has a long series of data on the size of these markets over time. Data is collected weekly and figures represent snapshots of specific points in time. We monitor larger markets (with 100 or more listings) that are in English language.
Interestingly, new sites get more hype, and it even becomes difficult to shut them down, as they have better security than the older ones. “The NSW Police Force is aware of this website and others to facilitate illegal activity, including the supply of illicit drugs, and has a number of strategies in place,” a NSW Police spokeswoman said. The centre also found that the internet had made more conventional illicit substances, such as cannabis and MDMA, easier to buy. When it comes to credit cards, if you live outside the US, you should be reassured that 3 million compromised cards were listed for sale on underground markets, which is 1.6 million less than in 2023.
It’s known for its strong security features (like a trusted escrow system, PGP two-factor authentication) and anonymity. The market facilitates trades in stolen credit card data, hacked bank accounts, and services to facilitate the laundering of cryptocurrency. In fact, everything is in English, and the site picks up users everywhere in the world. People visit this market to buy stolen credit cards, personal data, remote desktop account credentials, and logs gathered from information-stealing malware.
- The market emphasizes anonymity and security, conducting transactions exclusively through cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Monero.
- Retail and manufacturing companies are often less prepared for sophisticated attacks, making them appealing targets for cybercriminals.
- The marketplace has a simple interface, lets users filter logs easily, and accepts Bitcoin, Monero, and Litecoin for payments.
- One of the central76 discussion forums was Reddit’s /r/DarkNetMarkets/,777879 which has been the subject of legal investigation, as well as the Tor-based discussion forum, The Hub.
- The dark web is a portion of the internet accessible only via special anonymity-preserving networks like Tor.
Government agencies and nonprofits offer free cybersecurity resources for small businesses to enhance their defenses. For instance, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) provides free tools and guidance tailored to SMEs. Dr Martin says darknet trading is very difficult to police, but it’s not all bad news for law enforcement.
