Is The “New” AlphaBay What It Claims To Be? Observations From DarkOwl’s Analysts
The lack of law enforcement activity related to Mercado Negro is largely why many threat actors within the region continued to perceive their dark web activity as unaffected by the takedowns of large English-language marketplaces such as AlphaBay and Hansa. In April 2019, another threat actor began advertising a new Portuguese-language dark marketplace called Genese, or Genesis, Market. Again, the administrators began to separate themselves operationally and ideologically from their Brazilian predecessors, Trishula Market and Mercado Negro, by clearly stating that their lack of assocation. Additionally, they highlighted that Trishula was hacked in a short period of time, and referred to Mercado Negro’s administrator as a scammer. But within six months of opening, the administrator confessed that Mercado Negro had not been as profitable as expected. Despite its best efforts and relative lack of competition in the Portuguese-language dark web, the marketplace struggled to overcome several prevailing obstacles.
To our knowledge, this is the first study to combine these two elements systematically. Drugs – The most commonly sold illegal products on darknet markets are drugs, particularly opioids, cocaine, and methamphetamine. Vendors on these markets use clever marketing tactics to attract buyers, including offering free samples and discounts for bulk purchases. The rise of darknet markets has also led to the development of other criminal activities such as money laundering, cybercrime, and drug trafficking.
Understanding Darknet Market Sites
The darknet market sites have gained notoriety for their role in facilitating the illicit trade of various goods and services. Operating on the hidden layers of the internet, these markets utilize encryption and anonymity to protect their users’ identities.
The report shows that the percentage of a region’s share of drug-focused vendor activity matches very closely with what is known about the global drug trade. Generally, drugs are manufactured and grown in Latin American and Asia and consumed in North America and Western and Northern Europe. Angerer understood that every time you took down a criminal marketplace, another would spring up in its place. DarkMarket had flourished in large part because Wall Street Market had been crushed.
This was followed by oversampling of the remaining categories to increase the number of these listings in the sample, resulting in an equal representation between all categories, each consisting of 450 listings. To reduce the number of listings within each category, we randomly selected listings (without replacement) from the data until we reached 450 listings. To increase the number of listings within a category, we used “SMOTE” (Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique), which synthesizes new unseen data points (Chawla et al., 2002). Such new data is generated by first randomly selecting a listing of that category and finding the k (5) nearest neighbors of that listing within the feature space. Then, one of the neighbors is selected at random, and a new data point is created at a random point between the two listings in their feature space.
DarkOwl has assigned assets to monitoring and collecting data from the new AlphaBay Marketplace, despite their increased crawler detection measures and ongoing server instability. Our analysts will continue to follow this market’s presence and reputation on the darknet, and provide further updates as this story unfolds. During this research, DarkOwl discovered a surface web domain that mirrors much of the information DeSnake shared on Dread, but with a Tor link to the market that is not in the mirrors.txt verified links list from AlphaBay. The surface web domain is likely setup specifically to direct users to a phishing site where their credential information can be stolen. Like the historic AlphaBay, the market’s forum is located on the same domain as the market and has limited discussions.
Even if review systems are not perfect, and bias is inevitable, it seems that they still do their job as an accountability mechanism of social control. The dark web is a part of the internet that isn’t indexed by search engines. You’ve no doubt heard talk of the “dark web” as a hotbed of criminal activity — and it is. Researchers Daniel Moore and Thomas Rid of King’s College in London classified the contents of 2,723 live dark web sites over a five-week period in 2015 and found that 57% host illicit material.
How Darknet Market Sites Work
Darknet markets often function through a few common features:
These services, coupled with Hydra’s reputation, make the dark marketA Dark Market is a commercial website that operates via dark… The drama surrounding Dream Market is ongoing and involves many uncertainties. Though Dream Market has been around for 6 years, Dark Web marketplaces are typically short-lived.
- Access: Users must access these sites via specific networks, like Tor, which anonymizes their IP addresses.
- Cryptocurrency Transactions: Most transactions on darknet markets are conducted using cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, to obscure the flow of funds.
- Escrow Services: To improve trust between buyers and sellers, many darknet sites offer escrow services that hold funds until the transaction is confirmed.
- User Reviews and Feedback: Buyer and seller feedback systems help users assess the credibility of participants on these platforms.
Categories of Goods and Services Available
Darknet market sites provide a range of products and services, including:
- Drugs: Various illegal substances are commonly traded.
- Stolen Data: Personal information, credit card data, and login credentials.
- Counterfeit Items: Fake documents, designer goods, and currency.
- Hacking Services: Services like DDoS attacks or account hacks are often available.
- Weapons: Some markets facilitate the sale of firearms and other weapons.
Risks and Challenges
- In 2017, AlphaBay, one of the largest and most popular darknet markets at the time, was shut down by law enforcement, leading to the arrest of its founder and the seizure of millions of dollars worth of assets.
- They have a user-friendly chat messenger and UI, which has been so made to conduct comfortable communication.
- Others, like Dark0de and World Market, are believed to have pulled “exit scams,” disappearing suddenly with their users’ money.
- 1) Russian-language DNM vendors favour the dead-drop delivery model dubbed klad/клад (Russian for “treasure”), as opposed to the international mail delivery model adopted by western DNMs.
While darknet market sites offer anonymity, they come with significant risks:
- Legal Issues: Engaging in illegal activities can lead to serious legal consequences.
- Fraud: Users may fall victim to scams involving non-delivery of goods.
- Scams and Deceptions: Sellers may deliver counterfeit or defective products.
- Exposure to Law Enforcement: Anonymity is not guaranteed; law enforcement agencies actively monitor these markets.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the most popular darknet market sites?
Some well-known darknet market sites include Silk Road, AlphaBay, and Dream Market, although many of these have been shut down or altered over time.
Do I need special software to access darknet market sites?
Yes, users typically need to download Tor or other specific software to access these encrypted sites.
What is the role of cryptocurrencies in darknet markets?
Cryptocurrencies provide an added layer of anonymity, making it difficult to trace transactions back to the individuals involved.
Are all transactions on darknet markets illegal?
While many transactions involve illegal goods and services, not every market transaction is unlawful. Some users may engage in the trade of privacy-focused tools or other legal items.
The Future of Darknet Market Sites
The landscape of darknet market sites is constantly evolving. Law enforcement efforts continue to dismantle these platforms, leading to new markets emerging with greater security measures. Awareness and education about the associated risks can mitigate the chances of falling prey to scams or legal troubles.
Ultimately, users should exercise caution and understand the implications of their actions on these clandestine platforms.
