The Rise of Dark Markets: A Closer Look

Illegal Darknet marketplace DarkMarket has been shut down and a man suspected of being the site’s primary operator has been arrested in Germany. In the case of the Alphabay marketplace, taken down in 2017, federal agents continued to make arrests for several years after. Most of the transactions occurred via bitcoin or monero, which were considered largely untraceable forms of payment. We modeled the Cybersecurity Canon after the Baseball or Rock & Roll Hall-of-Fame, except for cybersecurity books. We have more than 25 books on the initial candidate list, but we are soliciting help from the cybersecurity community to increase the number to be much more than that.

Dark markets, also known as darknet markets, have been gaining notoriety in recent years as online platforms where illegal goods and services are bought and sold. These hidden marketplaces operate on the dark web, making it difficult for law enforcement to track down users and shut them down.

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What is a Dark Market?

This is somewhat surprising, as we would have expected market administrators to learn from past police operations, and make sure that they would relocate to countries where their arrest would be more difficult. Even though the market administrator’s identity was revealed, the method to identify him remains unknown. Still, market participants have theories that the identity had been known for quite some time, possibly from seizures of other dark web markets. This means that police probably have, in this seizure, significant information about the administrators of the next big dark web markets.

DarkMarket

A dark market is an online marketplace that operates on the dark web, a part of the internet that is not indexed by traditional search engines. These marketplaces often use encryption and anonymity tools to keep transactions private and secure. Users can buy and sell a variety of illegal goods and services, such as drugs, weapons, counterfeit money, and stolen data.

For this reason, the human animal should be quite thankful it is unable to “correlate all the contents” of the cosmos and just try not to read that book or dig up any ancient relics. The only other option is to set up a cult and worship the otherworldly being, which happens a lot too. DarkMarket was uncovered as part of a larger investigation into web-hosting company Cyberbunker, The Guardian reports. Cyberbunker (which is actually located in a former NATO bunker) housed servers for both The Pirate Bay and WikiLeaks in the past, and if this DarkMarket case is any example, seems to be a valuable starting point for future investigations into other illegal sites. DarkMarket also advertised itself as being the only such site administered exclusively by women. This was an intriguing boast—a prosecutor told me it was made to gain users’ trust—but it was untrue.

Authorities Have Taken Down The Dark Web’s Largest Illegal Marketplace

How do Dark Markets Work?

Dark markets typically use cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to facilitate transactions, as they provide a level of anonymity that traditional payment methods do not. Sellers create listings for their products or services, which buyers can browse and purchase using cryptocurrency. The market administrators take a commission on each sale, much like a conventional online marketplace.

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Are Dark Markets Legal?

No, dark markets are not legal. They operate outside of the law by facilitating the buying and selling of illegal goods and services. Law enforcement agencies around the world are actively working to shut down these marketplaces and prosecute those involved in illegal activities on them.

Media headlines about the takedown of the dark web’s “largest illegal marketplace” suggest the news should have had a bigger impact. There were various platforms actively competing with DarkMarket for the top spot. And with DarkMarket now no longer a threat, there is a pool of candidates offering discounts and free vendor bonds for refugees looking for a new “home”. Crucially, another law enforcement seizure only strengthens the more secure marketplaces’ argument that the cybercriminal community leave behind the platforms they are accustomed to. From the author’s perspective, it seems there was a degree of confidence in not being caught, which I’m sure was partly due to the many elements they put in place to protect themselves.

Is it Safe to Use Dark Markets?

Using dark markets comes with significant risks, as users are exposing themselves to potential scams, malware, and law enforcement investigation. Additionally, buying and selling illegal goods can land individuals in legal trouble. It is strongly advised against engaging in any activities on dark markets.

The Future of Dark Markets

The secret “darknet“ includes websites that can be accessed only with specific software or authorisations, ensuring anonymity for users. A 34-year-old Australian national believed to be the DarkMarket operator was arrested near the German-Danish border, just as more than 20 servers it used in Moldova and Ukraine were seized. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California filed a civil forfeiture complaint against Alexandre Cazes and his wife’s assets located throughout the world, including in Thailand, Cyprus, Lichtenstein, and Antigua & Barbuda. Cazes and his wife amassed numerous high value assets, including luxury vehicles, residences and a hotel in Thailand. Cazes also possessed millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, which has been seized by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Over the years, Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos spread like crazy, partially thanks to his willingness to share the mythos with other writers.

• The administrator of Dread even initiated a thread accusing marketplace owners of organizing such attacks against their competitors or even performing retaliatory attacks.
• “They provide these criminals with places to buy and sell malware, malicious infrastructure, and compromised data, accounts and devices.
• However, according to The Guardian, the DarkMarket operation correlates with months-long investigation into web-hosting company Cyberbunker, which operated from a former NATO bunker in south-west Germany.
• German investigators were assisted in their months-long probe by authorities worldwide, including the US Drug Enforcement Administration and police from Australia, Britain, Denmark, Switzerland, Ukraine and Moldova with support of Europol.
• This is the not the first time German authorities have successfully busted the operator of an illegal online platform or service.
• The result is that the cost of such widespread fraud is borne by all bank customers.

As law enforcement agencies increase their efforts to combat dark markets, it is likely that these underground marketplaces will continue to adapt and evolve. New technologies and encryption methods will be developed to maintain user anonymity and circumvent law enforcement efforts. However, the risks associated with using dark markets will always remain high.