Darknet Marketplace Revenue Plummets After Hydra Raid
Exploring Active Darknet Markets
The darknet is a complex and often dangerous space where anonymity reigns supreme. For those who navigate this murky world, knowing which darknet market are still up is crucial for engaging in illicit trade safely.
French and Finnish authorities also closed the Valhalla forum earlier this year. And U.S. police announced in March an eight-month investigation resulted in the closure of the Dream Market, which specialized in the sale of narcotics and stolen data. Forum on the 1st of October and said that he had some problems, but everything is ok now and the forum came back with new features.
The following month RuTor retaliated, hacking WayAway and posting screenshots of the breach, arguing that WayAway’s security was too weak to be trusted. Days later RuTor was targeted for another round of cyber attacks, this time by Killnet. Amid the cyber warfare between those vying to succeed Hydra, Russia’s drug trade, most of it orchestrated via darknet marketplaces continues almost in plain sight. In 2015, drug-related products accounted for 70% of total sales in darknet markets. Also known as cryptomarkets, DNMs are multi-vendor online illicit global commerce platforms that mainly specialize in the sale of illicit drugs.
“Podorozhnik” advertised their drawing services on the darknet site DarkMoney in 2021. No Telegram channels are linked directly on Styx market, but there are multiple public channels connected to ”Podorozhnik” on Telegram. These show communication between customers and “Podorozhnik” of successful verifications. A Telegram channel advertising “Podorozhnik” claims they had over 900 positive reviews on a popular Russian Forum. Banks are wary of cryptocurrencies’ links to the darknet and will likely be hesitant to cash out large sums of crypto, or will raise a red flag and require additional documentation.
As of the writing of this report, it has been one week since the market went offline. It could have been seized instead of exit scammed, but law enforcement has yet to announce the seizure. If the market doesn’t return and law enforcement don’t announce a seizure, it can be concluded that DeapSea has exit scammed. One such operation, dubbed DisrupTor concluded in September last year. Earlier in the year, law enforcement agencies had managed to take down a big platform known as Wall Street Market.
Estimations in the literature are mostly based on border seizures, but in this paper, we examined openly labeled counterfeits on darknet markets, which allowed us to gather and analyze information from a different perspective. Here, we analyzed data from 11 darknet markets for the period Jan-2014 and Sep-2015. The findings suggest that darknet markets harbor similar counterfeit product types to those found in seizures but that the share of watches is higher while the share of electronics, clothes, shoes, and Tobacco is lower on darknet markets. Also, darknet market counterfeits seem to have similar shipping origins as seized goods, with some exceptions, such as a relatively high share (5%) of dark market counterfeits originating from the US. Lastly, counterfeits on dark markets tend to have a relatively low price and sales volume.
All reviews from Cryptonia market have their timestamp as 0 because I forgot to decode the dates listed and just used 0 as a placeholder. Cryptonia reviews’ score variable is unreliable, as I accidentally rewrote all scores to 0 on the production database. To correct for this, I rewrote the scores to match a sentiment analysis of the review text, but this is not a perfect solution, as some reviews are classified incorrectly.
Current Active Darknet Markets
As of now, several darknet markets continue to operate despite the constant threat of shutdowns by law enforcement agencies. Here are some of the notable ones:
- AlphaBay: Reopened under new management, this market has regained its popularity.
- Hydra: Primarily focused on Russian-speaking users, Hydra continues to thrive.
- Tor Market: This market includes a variety of goods, maintaining a steady user base.
- DarkFox: A newer market that has quickly gained traction for its user-friendly interface.
Factors That Impact Market Stability
- Hydra has stated that it will continue “…to suppress any resistance that could have a negative impact on the future of our projects”.
- Once your information is out there, you will likely experience more frequent social engineering attacks and these attacks will likely include more personalized information.
- According to TRM Labs’s research, these markets reached 24% more volume than the previous year of Hydra within the first five months of Hydra’s shutdown.
Several factors determine which darknet market are still up and functioning effectively:
- Law Enforcement Pressure: Continuous operations by law enforcement can lead to takedowns.
- User Trust: Markets that maintain strong security and a reliable seller base are more likely to survive.
- Community Engagement: Active forums and user communication contribute to a market’s longevity.
FAQs About Darknet Markets
Are all darknet markets illegal?
Yes, most darknet markets facilitate illegal transactions, including drugs, weapons, and stolen data.
How do I access darknet markets?
To access these markets, users typically need to use the Tor browser and may require specific URLs or tools for navigation.
Are there risks associated with using darknet markets?
Yes, users face risks such as scams, law enforcement raids, and potential exposure to harmful content.
How can I verify if a market is legitimate?
Community reviews, user feedback, and consistent uptime are important indicators of a market’s legitimacy.
Conclusion
Understanding which darknet market are still up is essential for those who venture into this underground economy. While opportunities may exist, the inherent risks make it imperative for users to stay informed and cautious.
