Hands-On Dark Web Analysis

Learn what goes on in the Dark Web, and how to work with it

Sion Retzkin

• Publisher: Packt Publishing
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781789138306
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Computer Networking
• Index: Computer Science

Understanding the concept Dark Web and Dark Net to utilize it for effective cybersecurity

Key Features

• Understand the concept of Dark Net and Deep Web
• Use Tor to extract data and maintain anonymity
• Develop a security framework using Deep web evidences

Book Description

The overall world wide web is divided into three main areas - the Surface Web, the Deep Web, and the Dark Web. The Deep Web and Dark Web are the two areas which are not accessible through standard search engines or browsers. It becomes extremely important for security professionals to have control over these areas to analyze the security of your organization.

This book will initially introduce you to the concept of the Deep Web and the Dark Web and their significance in the security sector. Then we will deep dive into installing operating systems and Tor Browser for privacy, security and anonymity while accessing them. During the course of the book, we will also share some best practices which will be useful in using the tools for best effect.

By the end of this book, you will have hands-on experience working with the Deep Web and the Dark Web for security analysis

What you will learn

• Access the Deep Web and the Dark Web
• Learn to search and find information in the Dark Web
• Protect yourself while browsing the Dark Web
• Understand what the Deep Web and Dark Web are
• Learn what information you can gather, and how

Who this book is for

This book is targeted towards security professionals, security analyst, or any stakeholder interested in learning the concept of deep web and dark net. No prior knowledge on Deep Web and Dark Net is required

What Goes on in the Dark Web - Case Studies

In the last few chapters, we've discussed how to access the Dark Web securely and anonymously by installing and using various security- and privacy-focused operating systems, together with private browsers and VPNs.

In this chapter, let's discuss what goes on in the Dark Web, so you can decide why you want to go there. We'll discuss how the Dark Web is used, and talk about the stories (true or not) of what goes on in the Dark Web. Some of these examples will be graphic and detailed (not for the faint of heart), but most importantly, they are not of my invention.

I will retell tales that I've heard, read about, or have direct experience with.

Not all of them will be scary, morbid, or gross. Some will be of a positive nature, outlining how people put the Dark Web to use for whistle-blowing, sharing information, marketing, buying and selling, providing medial help, and much more.

We will cover the following topics in this chapter:

• The good and evil sides of the Dark Web
• Onion websites
• Illegal sales on the Dark Web using Bitcoin

The good and evil side of the Dark Web

Most of what we hear in the media is about criminal activities, such as drugs, weapons, and human trafficking, but in reality, there are many other benevolent and beneficial ways to use the Dark Web.

It's important to understand that the Dark Web provides an environment where people can express themselves freely and without censure (for better or worse), gain access to knowledge or content which otherwise would be very expensive to obtain (or even criminal), and find similarly-minded people, subcultures or hobbies (or any other uniting factor).

As with any tool or technology (and yes, I know I'm paraphrasing), the Dark Web isn't inherently evil.

It's populated by people, and it is these people who use the Dark Web for good or evil. Some say that the original intent of the Dark Web was to be an online Utopia, populated by people of every nation, religion and gender, sharing information freely, and working together for the benefit of all.

Sounds like a science fiction story, I know, but it is a worthy dream, nonetheless.

Somewhere along the way, the criminal element inserted itself (or people simply saw how easy it was to perform criminal activities anonymously on the Dark Web), and since shortly after its creation, the Dark Web has had a negative reputation.

The fact that it's called the Dark Web doesn't necessarily mean that it's evil, but the media and marketers have assigned evil or nefarious qualities to the Dark Web, to enhance sales or consumption of media. What makes the Dark Web so mysterious is the fact that it's not as accessible as Surface Web sites. As I explained previously, to access the Dark Web, you need a special browser (Tor, for example), you need to take more precautions, and most importantly, you can't find sites or results from the Dark Web using conventional search engines.

These all enhance the anonymity and privacy that users can take advantage of when browsing the Dark Web.

So let's start. And remember, many of the stories and facts you'll read also exist outside the Dark Web, it's just harder know who you are there, but human nature will always be human nature.

Onion websites

Many companies have started creating websites in the Dark Web, mainly to allow access in countries where there might be prohibitions on using them openly. One example is Facebook, which in October 2014 announced that they had added a Dark Web version in order to prevent access issues that happened when Tor users accessed their accounts through Facebook's regular site. The Dark Web version also allows users from countries that limit access to Facebook to be able to enjoy the social network. The following screenshot displays the Facebook onion site:

Several advertising companies also create sites in the Dark Web, to provide their services to users who want to view ads, but still want to maintain their privacy and security. As you may know, many ads collect information about us, and some are even considered malware. This is one of the reasons that adblockers were developed. For example, Adland, a site boasting the largest collections of Super Bowl commercials in the world, curates and displays ads and commercials from the whole world. They launched a Dark Web site, to protect their readers/surfers.

Here is a statement from the founder of Adland:

“Adland's target cares about privacy. We have two different types of readers. There are people who work in advertising, and then there are a lot of technical people like gamers who already have adblock installed.”

Additionally, she stated, The way ad networks (on the Surface Web) are today are basically indistinguishable from malware. There's a lot of third-party calls going on between the publication that you're reading and the [tracker] on the publication. She views the Dark Web as a mega adblocker, preventing the tracking of data with cookies.

So you could say that hosting an ad site on the Dark Web helps ensure that the ads are legitimate and do not contain malware or cookie-collecting options.

The following picture is of the Adland website:

ProPublica, an American independent, Pulitzer prize winning, nonprofit news site that produces investigative journalism dedicated to exposing incidents and stories that betray the public trust, also launched a Dark Web site, which makes it easier for whistle-blowers and other people who want to share news anonymously to disseminate their information.

The following screenshot is of ProPublica's website:

Everyday users, who began receiving web-search-based targeted ads, started looking for a way to keep their search habits private. Anonymous commerce is something that Facebook, Google, and others view as a significant threat, since one of their best marketing tactics is to monitor users' searches, and track them, followed by targeted ads.

As I indicated previously, dissidents and activists in oppressive regimes use the Dark Web to communicate so they don't get in trouble with their government – sadly there are still governments that limit outside communication through standard channels – or to report what they are experiencing to the outside world.

A report by the Human Rights Watch, a global non-profit, non-governmental human rights organization, called Race to the Bottom: Corporate Complicity in Chinese Internet Censorship actually discusses this and recommends that human rights workers throughout the world use the Dark Web to communicate securely and privately.

The following screenshot is of the Human Rights website:

In East Asia, Tor is used to ensure anonymity when people reveal information about sweatshops and other labor law problems.

Many situations that you hear about, or see in movies and TV shows, such as fighting the domination of a local town in the eastern US by a large corporation, is done via the Dark Web, by rallying local residents, and planning their actions anonymously and privately.

Human rights activists, working in dangerous areas, use the Dark Web to anonymously report abuse while avoiding prosecution.

Bloggers use Tor for anonymity, and band together to help each other and to promote freedom of speech. An example is Global Voices, an international and multilingual community of volunteering bloggers, journalists, translators, academics, and human rights activist...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright and Credits
• About Packt
• Contributors
• Preface
• Understanding the Deep and Dark Web
• Working with the Deep Web
• The Future of the Dark Web
• Installing a Linux Virtual Machine (VM)
• Accessing the Dark Web with Tor Browser
• Installing Tails OS
• Installing Whonix
• Installing Qubes OS
• What Goes on in the Dark Web - Case Studies
• The Dangers of the Dark Web
• Using the Dark Web for Your Business
• Assessment
• Another Book You May Enjoy