Digital black market or dark net poses a national security threat
Abstract—The dark web, sometimes known as the darknet, is constantly in the headlines. It is critical to comprehend the various terminologies linked with the subject. As simple as it is to use, the sheer intricacy of it in the cyber world is perplexing and difficult to detect or regulate. Because dark web forums dedicated to freely discussing privacy-enabling technologies, intrusion software, and vulnerable code are easily accessible, global law enforcement organizations are continually engaged. The introduction of the dark web has resulted in a significant surge in negative internet activities such as money laundering, drug trafficking, child abuse, murder, and so on. This has had a negative impact on cybersecurity efficacy [1]
The invention of the world wide web and other search engines such as Google has made it possible to obtain information at any time. The majority of this material is publicly accessible on the surface web, which is easily searchable with a standard search engine [1]. On the other hand, certain websites are difficult to reach using regular search engines because the data embedded in these websites is strongly encrypted. Similarly, these websites, often known as the dark web, are very similar to black markets in that their main purpose is to avoid taxes and laws while trading in dangerous illicit commodities.
As a result, we now see that black markets have spread online, where a pool of cybercriminals can make a lot of money by selling or exchanging data, purchasing forbidden data, or purchasing things that are prohibited by government restrictions [2]. As a result, the growth of these online black markets has had a significant impact on the effectiveness of cybersecurity and internet governance, as people and businesses are increasingly affected by these activities, while cybercriminals are becoming more difficult to catch and prosecute.
Cybersecurity is defined as the process of preventing unauthorized access and alteration of computers, software, hardware, data, information, and computer networks by hackers, terrorists, and cyber criminals. Cybercrime refers to criminal activities that involve the use of the Internet, computers, or other types of IT infrastructure. Cybercrime is classified into three types [5]:
The black market is an illegal, free market that is emerging in nations where commodities are scarce or severely taxed [8]. It is essentially a shadow market that operates outside of any government regulations or sanctions in order to dodge price controls and taxes. These marketplaces, sometimes known as shadow markets, are locations where one can purchase assets or property that is not publicly available [9]. "No good deed is done in the dark," as the proverb goes. The Black Market is a perfect illustration of this. In a nutshell, the major motive for dealing through the Black market is to trade contraband, avoid paying high taxes, and be subject to price volatility.
The Darknet is an example of a Black Market that arose as a result of the web's development. The Darknet is made up of a plethora of black-market websites where everyone's identity is concealed from authorities and law enforcement. The collective bandwidth, usability, amount of shared library, and availability of search engines on the darknet have all increased dramatically in recent years [11]. Participants must be computer literate enough to install the unique software required by the black market websites in order to gain access to them.
Furthermore, the Darknet employs complex encryption techniques to conceal people's identities and bounces network traffic around several servers around the world, making tracing impossible.
Virtual crime is not different from real-world crime; it simply uses a different medium to do the crime. Computers and the Internet are also used to conduct virtual crimes.
The Silk Road website is an anonymous marketplace for the sale of clothing, books, and illegal products such as firearms and drugs. On the Tor network, these websites appear to be just like any other shopping website on the internet, with a brief description of the goods and accompanying images.
The dark web encourages users to exchange sensitive information such as login and password, credit card information, PayPal password, and so on.
Assassination websites on the dark web allow users to forecast the day of death of a certain individual and receive a reward if the date of death is correctly predicted. The dark web also includes websites where assassins can be hired, such as White Wolves. [27].
Terrorists use the dark web because it is an anonymous and inaccessible network. Terrorists cannot use the public internet because their site can be simply shut down and the administrator can be identified. They use the dark web for propaganda, recruitment, and planning [28].
Some dark web websites, such as Banker & Co and Instacard, undertake untraceable financial transactions. They conduct their business by issuing a bank anonymous debit card to the user or a virtual credit card that is used by trusted dark web operators [29].
The dark web's primary inventory is the hidden wiki. This website promotes cyber-attacks, money laundering, contract killing, and other illegal activities. The link to the hidden wiki, like any other website on the dark web, is frequently altered to avoid detection [30].
The Dark Web has been implicated in a wide range of crimes. Drugs, firearms, exotic animals, and stolen products and information are all sold for a profit. There are gambling websites, hired thieves and killers, and troves of child pornography (Chertoff, Simon, 2015). However, data on the presence of these Dark Web sites are scarce. According to Tor, only about 1.5% of Tor users visit hidden services/Dark Web pages (Tor Project Blog, 2015) [2]
Illicit internet markets, both on the surface and deep webs allow criminal vendors to sell a wide range of illicit commodities, with those of a more severe nature often located deeper, in the dark web. Many of these illegal goods and services, such as cybercrime toolkits or forged documents, serve as enablers for additional criminal activity (EUROPOL, 2018). Cybercriminals can victimize both individuals and organizations, and they have no regard for borders. How criminals abuse borders is a constant source of concern for law enforcement, especially as the concept of borders and boundaries has evolved (Finklea, 2017).
Such activities include drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, child abuse, trading sensitive information, malware, and spyware, sharing Software Exploits information discovered in computer systems, and renting a Botnet, which is a fully-equipped network connected to the internet that hackers can use to perform a wide range of security breaches. In addition to trade documents, phony IDs, stolen credit cards, medical records of patients, and any other Personally Identifiable Information (PII). It also includes financial fraud, propagating criminal ideology, and even hiring hitmen, among other things. Dark Web Hidden Service also has a stake in the Dark Web; these are special services that host security breach operations and serve as a hosting environment for malware (Hawkins, 2016).
This study will limit its scope by focusing primarily on the national security implications of the Dark Web, rather than concerns involving domestic law enforcement. This document defines law enforcement as issues such as drug trafficking, financial fraud, counterfeit goods, illicit pornography, and so on. Weapons proliferation, terrorism, intelligence collection and extortion, malicious services-for-hire, and other challenges are classified as national security in this article. We recognize that there is not always a clear distinction between matters of law enforcement and national security concern; once again, our goal here is to focus on risks with particular national security consequences. In an effort to characterize the Dark Web from a national security perspective, below are a series of Dark Web case studies that detail issues of national security relevance [3].
The anonymity provided by the Dark Web creates an ideal trading environment for would-be purchasers and sellers of hazardous weapons. This is more than just a theory; it is a truth that has been confirmed time and again via observation. Uranium, hazardous chemical compounds, and military-grade weaponry are just a few of the weapons that have been listed on the Dark Web. As a result of these ads, the international law enforcement community has been aggressively chasing would-be buyers and sellers of weapons on the Dark Web — and in many cases, they have been successful in averting possible assaults [3].
The expanding amount of public data that intelligence officers can use to coerce potential sources for information is the second reason that the Dark Web will likely grow in popularity among intelligence officials. National security professionals may observe a wave of impending extortion efforts by combining information gathered through normal cybersecurity breaches and integrating it with other information that can be used to blackmail an individual [3].
Terrorists may use Dark Web marketplaces in the future to purchase enabling goods that will aid in the execution of their objectives. In addition to weapons and funds, enabling materials such as counterfeit identifications, non-attributable communications equipment, and falsified documents can help a terrorist organization achieve its aims by facilitating travel, securing communications, establishing proof of residency, and so on. This is especially problematic when we consider how a potential terrorist could utilize these enabling materials to adopt a pseudo-persona in order to avoid detection by authorities [3].
The Dark Web is home to a variety of dangerous services that potential threat actors looking to cause harm could exploit. Separating out the noise and refining our focus, as with other parts of the Dark Web, is crucial to determining the nature of the threat. Malicious services for hire enable threat actor organizations with relatively low-level cyber capabilities to essentially pay their way to achieve their goals. This idea could explain how North Korea has been able to rapidly advance the development of its cyberwarfare program in recent years. Prior to the Sony Pictures assault in 2014, North Korea was not seen as a prominent cyber superpower [3].
The Dark Web, like other developing technologies, is one of these complexities. National security experts who read this article should examine how the stated Dark Web dangers may impact their different areas of responsibility. Furthermore, potential countermeasures and monitoring capabilities, such as Dark Web-focused threat intelligence, should be considered to acquire a better knowledge of Dark Web related dangers.
Whatever methods are used to gain a better understanding of this developing threat, the overarching goal should be to raise collective awareness among the national security community. We aim to leverage this awareness to lessen the risk of strategic surprise while also facilitating a predictive understanding of how our enemies are likely to use the Dark Web in the course of their own harmful activities. While this understanding may not necessarily prevent national security risks from the Dark Web, it may surely bring the matter to light and promote a bigger discussion about how the global community might address these new threats.
I would like to express my gratitude to my research supervisor Mr. Sohrabh Vakharia from Patkar Varde College for providing me with guidance throughout.
I would like to thank him for giving me the opportunity to do my research work on this topic. His positive attitude and helpful nature have always motivated and inspired me. I am always grateful to my parents for all their love and care toward me, making me capable to pursue my higher education.
Finally, I owe deep gratitude to all the people who were directly or indirectly involved in my research work and supported me throughout.
