A suspected data breach is indicated by the most prevalent Top ten list of common Dark Web activities that enterprises should monitor on the web.
Terbium Labs’ research resulted in the compilation of a list of the most prevalent signals that may be found on the dark web that suggest there may have been a security breach.
The dark web is the anonymous part of the deep web that requires some additional tools to access the Dark web. dark websites are intentionally hidden from search engines.
Table of Contents
FAQ
List of Top Ten Dark Web Activities
Doxing of VIP
Guides for opening fraudulent accounts
Proprietary source code
Dump of a database
Template to impersonate a customer account
Connections between employees and illicit content
Tax-fraud documents
Secure access and specialty passes
Inexpert dark web searching
Recent Major Dark Web Detections
FAQ
1. What activities go on the dark web?
The dark web is home to many illicit markets, such as those for drugs, firearms, hacking services, fake IDs, and stolen data. Identity theft and DDoS attacks are just two examples of the many types of cybercrime that flourish there.
The dark web is also home to online communities and forums where people can talk freely about taboo or illegal issues without fear of reprisal. While the dark web’s anonymity and encryption characteristics make it useful for legitimate purposes, it has become synonymous with criminal and underground pursuits.
2. What is the best thing about dark web?
The ability to protect users’ anonymity and privacy is the dark web’s greatest strength. This anonymity is particularly useful for those working under more restrictive regimes, such as journalists or activists.
In addition to illegal activity, the dark web also provides safe spaces for lawful ones, such as whistleblowing and privacy-centric talks. Anonymity can be advantageous in some situations, but it can also encourage unlawful behavior; hence, it is something of a double-edged sword.
3. Who benefits from the dark web?
The dark web can offer a secure platform for whistleblowers to share sensitive information without fear of reprisal. Users concerned about online privacy and surveillance can find tools and communities on the dark web dedicated to protecting their anonymity.
Investigative journalists may use the dark web to access and share information about corruption or human rights abuses.
Cybersecurity professionals may monitor the dark web for threats and vulnerabilities to improve internet security.
4. What is the most common crime on the dark web?
Drug trafficking is a major dark web crime. Dark web marketplaces sell opioids, prescriptions, and illegal drugs. Other common crimes include selling stolen data, hacking tools, counterfeit documents, and cybercrime services like hacking-for-hire or DDoS attacks.
Financial fraud and identity theft are also common dark web crimes. Dark web privacy and encryption make it appealing for illegal operations.
List of Top Ten Dark Web Activities
On the dark web, people do many things, some of which are legal and some of which are illegal. These include hacking services, fake documents, weapons, cybercrime tools, stolen goods, identity theft services, financial fraud schemes, threats, and extortion.
For people and groups involved in illegal activities, like drug deals, data breaches, identity theft, and hacking, it provides a place to do them while keeping their activities secret, which makes it hard to police and track.
1. Doxing of VIP
The most common indicator is the personal, financial, and technical information about the target organizations on the Dark web and clear websites like Pastebin.
Full PANs, BINs, and payment cards for sale
The breach can be identified by monitoring the new cards updated in the markets. According to Terbiumlabs a single payment card on the dark web costs $5 and $20.
2. Guides for opening fraudulent accounts
On the dark web, one may find a distressingly high number of how-to guides for opening fraudulent accounts. These illegal manuals offer detailed instructions on how to construct phony identities, fabricate documents, and manipulate financial systems in order to gain unauthorized access to bank accounts, credit cards, and other financial accounts.
They are frequently sought after by those who are engaged in activities such as committing identity theft, financial fraud, or money laundering.
Law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity specialists are constantly working together to combat these actions and safeguard individuals and companies from falling prey to fraudulent schemes.
3. Proprietary source code
On the dark web, unlawful transactions can take place for the purchase and sale of proprietary source code. This code frequently makes its way onto the web. This action poses a considerable risk to businesses who engage heavily in the development of proprietary software, such as software corporations and other organizations.
Theft of source code, followed by its sale on the dark web, might result in unauthorized distribution, the construction of harmful software based on the stolen code, or reverse engineering. This can result in monetary losses, a compromised security system, and damage to the reputation of an organization.
Concerningly, forums and marketplaces on the dark web create a covert environment in which hackers and other cybercriminals can make a profit off of stolen intellectual property. This is one of the aspects of dark web activity that causes alarm.
4. Dump of a database
The dumping of databases, often known as “database leaks” or “data breaches,” is a common practice on the dark web.
Cybercriminals get access to databases that store sensitive information, such as user credentials, personal data, or financial records, and then offer this information for sale on the dark web once they have stolen it from the databases.
These database dumps can be utilized for a variety of criminal endeavors, including the theft of identities, phishing scams, and fraudulent financial transactions.
The dark web provides a forum where buyers and sellers may exchange databases that have been illegally obtained. This enables criminal actors to profit from the compromised information while also placing individuals and organizations in danger.
This behavior highlights the significance of effective cybersecurity procedures to safeguard sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands and causing a breach in security.
5. Template to impersonate a customer account
On the dark web, there are a lot of disturbingly popular guides for creating fake accounts. Step-by-step directions on how to make fake identities, fake documents, and hack into financial systems to open fake bank accounts, credit cards, and other financial accounts are given in these illegal guides.
People who are involved in identity theft, financial fraud, and money laundering plans often try to get their hands on them. The fact that these guides exist shows how the dark web helps criminals do their work, since they show criminals how to take advantage of weak spots in banking institutions and hurt trust in those systems.
Police and cybersecurity experts are always working to stop these kinds of actions and keep people and businesses from falling for this kind of fraud.
6. Connections between employees and illicit content
One worrisome thing about dark web activities is the presence of templates for fake customer accounts. Cybercriminals can use these templates to get ready-made papers or forms that they can use to pretend to be real customers and get into accounts or services without permission.
These templates could have fake IDs, utility bills, or other personal information that scammers can use to pretend to be someone else. People and companies are taking big risks by doing these things on the dark web, which can cost them money, steal their identities, and hurt their reputations.
To protect consumers and keep online services safe, law enforcement and cybersecurity experts are constantly tracking and stopping the spread of these templates.
7. Tax-fraud documents
Before tax season each year, there is a rush of activity on the dark web to gather compromised identity information in order to file fraudulent tax returns before the legitimate taxpayer can.
Dark web vendors post Employer Identification Numbers and family packs that allow fraudsters to file the returns before the legitimate taxpayer.
8. Secure access and specialty passes
A lot of the time, people buy and sell safe access and specialty passes on the dark web. People with these passes may be able to get into restricted areas like government buildings, corporate offices, or events without permission, which can be a major security risk.
Specialty passes may also come with benefits, such as getting around security measures or getting insider knowledge. This activity on the dark web shows how dangerous it can be to get into private places without permission, which could lead to crimes or spying.
To protect national security and public safety, law enforcement agencies all over the world work hard to keep an eye on and stop these dark web deals.
9. Inexpert dark web searching
The term “inexpert dark web searching” refers to people who don’t know how to safely and effectively explore the dark web. People who are interested in this activity often go to the dark web without taking the right safety measures, putting themselves at risk.
If you’re not careful when you search, you might come across illegal content or bad people, which could put your internet safety and privacy at risk.
Learning about the possible dangers and using anonymizing tools like Tor, along with being very careful and following moral rules, are the best ways to lower these risks for anyone who wants to explore the dark web.
Recent Major Dark Web Detections
Cybercriminals obtain digital certificates like a specific buyer by submitting the stolen corporate identities of the legitimate owner and selling them in underground forums.
Facebook credentials are sold on the dark web for just $5.20 per account and they allow cybercriminals to obtain complete control over your account and post a variety of scams.
Gmail accounts are sold for $1 per account. Login details of food website GrubHub sold for $9 and the Airbnb account credentials for $8.
Cybercriminals sold remote desktop protocol (RDP) access to hacked machines on the Dark Web for $10. RDP shops emerge again and this time even bigger.
