When it comes to the Internet, bad things happen in the dark. And when bad things happen on the Internet, the activity usually occurs on the so-called “Dark Web” or “Deep Web. To the average Internet user who has never knowingly visited the Dark Web, these mysterious places where hackers, cyber spies, and other Internet criminals lurk, waiting to prey on unsuspecting victims is largely misunderstood. What exactly goes on in the Dark Web and Deep Web? Where is it? How do people access it? How dangerous are these parts of the internet?
Understanding Tor
Before we tackle the dark side of the internet, it is important to understand Tor, the key component to the hidden parts of the Internet. Tor is software created by the Tor Project, a group of staunch advocates for online privacy, that allows users to access the Internet anonymously.
Tor users around the world volunteer their computers to act as “nodes” to bounce Tor Internet traffic around to different nodes in order to conceal the true source IP address and the identity of the user. Individual packets of information jump around from node to node, each node only keeping enough information to send to the next node, until the packet reaches its final destination.
Dark Web vs. Deep Web
The Dark Web and Deep Web use Tor to access hidden websites that only hackers know how to get to and can only be accessed using anonymous services like Tor for information transfer. Dark Web and Deep Web are used interchangeably, but are not technically the same thing.
What is the Deep Web?
The Deep Web includes web pages that are not accessible via search engines. These include online enterprise systems like corporate intranet pages, online banking sites, web-based email pages and paywalls, among many others.
What Is the Dark Web?
The Dark Web is a group of websites that are viewable by the public, but their originating IP addresses are hidden via Tor.
When using the Dark Web, a server typically uses a traditional IP address to access sites. They can use what is called an “onion address,” which is a 16 character code that is entered instead of typing in a URL.
The Dark Web contains sites like the infamous Silk Road, where illegal drugs and other illegal items are available for sale to users. The Silk Road site has been the target of law enforcement for years, with varying results. Sites like Silk Road use Tor and can’t be found by searching the public Internet and must be known by the user. This helps users of the Dark Web escape detection because it is difficult for authorities to determine the owners and users of the Dark Web sites.
The Dark Web is also considered a “black market” for purchasing items such as credit card numbers, stolen identities, user accounts, drugs, guns, and various other illegal items. For example, after hackers compromised the website Ashlee Madison late 2015, an estimated 9.7 gigabytes worth of account details, logins, and credit card details were posted to the Dark Web.
How This Applies to You and Your Organization
Your employees might like to browse privately using Tor or be curious to explore the intriguing world of the Dark Web, even on company time!
It is critical that employees realize the risks of using Tor and accessing the Dark Web. Because of the rogue nature of these sites, they are even more dangerous and can render users vulnerable to attacks and exploits.
It is possible that using these tools, even if accessing perfectly legal sites, can result in a user’s computer becoming infected with malware. From there, a hacker can steal sensitive information or leave a backdoor for other hackers to access and control the computer. If a user then connects an infected computer or to a corporate network, it is possible that the malware can traverse the network, leaving it wide open to hackers.
The threat the Dark Web poses to users and enterprises underscores the need for companies to have a comprehensive security awareness training program in place that raises awareness of all users to the risks of online threats including the Dark Web.
By Tyler Cohen Wood
