Who doesn’t love a good mystery ?

It is said that there is something bad in everything good and something good in everything bad

That is why the picture above is popularly used to illustrate the dark web.

The expression “tip of the iceberg” is used to refer to a small part of a larger unseen issue because much of an iceberg is below the water’s surface.

Technically, the dark web (or darknet) is the unindexed part of the internet accessible via special browsers and hosts off-grid websites that sell illegal merchandise including drugs, weapons, stolen financial data, malware, and cybercrime services.

Contrast to the clearnet — which is the public internet that you and I use every day, which is visible to everyone.

There are consultants on the Dark Web who literally advertise: “I will wreck someone’s life for x amount of $$$.”

But, to put aside the technical jargon, we need to find a common ground to explain what a dark web really is. We use analogies here.

In fact, we won’t continue with the iceberg comparison. We are going to use something more relatable; because seriously, who has seen an iceberg ? 👀

This is the third episode in our ARAP series. Where we simplify cybersecurity jargons As Relatable As Possible 💡

A journey into the Dark Web is like stepping into the twilight zone of the internet, where mystery and anonymity reign.

In the theater of imagination, dark web is just like a dark market, akin to the dealings of criminals.

It is a clear day in your typical city with its main streets, bright lights, and public markets representing the familiar parts of the internet we use every day.

These are the places where you, chat, have fun, and shop grocery items.

But take a turn into the other side of this alley, and everything changes. The lights dim, the atmosphere gets tense, and the stalls hide in the shadows.

This is the Dark Web, a hidden part of the internet not indexed by regular search engines.

It’s like a secret club with a secret entrance, accessible only if you know where to look and how to get in.

In this digital alley, people don’t shop groceries; instead, it’s a marketplace for things that operate in the shadows. Imagine it as a black market where shady deals happen.

You won’t find everyday items here; it’s more like a swap meet for digital outlaws, dealing in illegal merchandise and services.

I mean, how do you think terrorist get those explosives they use to cause attention? Or how do drug dealers run their businesses online; it is on the dark web. Where hackers and malware creators sell their ‘wares,’ as we discussed in our last episode about malware.

On the Dark Web, it’s not just about buying and selling; it’s about a different kind of currency — cryptocurrency. It’s like having a secret handshake to enter a club, but here, it’s having Bitcoins or other cryptocurrencies to participate in the transactions.

Remember, it’s a place where you can find hackers for hire, illegal drugs, stolen data, and services that can disrupt lives for a price.

It’s the wild west of the internet, where rules are broken, and norms don’t apply.

So, while we might not have all seen an iceberg, we’ve all taken a turn down a mysterious street. The Dark Web is that shady digital street, and our journey is just beginning.

To access the other dimension of the physical alley, you need the knowledge of a secrete route.

It could be a secret tunnel or some hidden door switch behind a hanging portrait.

To enter the dark web, it can be done through a program called “Tor”, which connects you to the “.onion” network; analogous to the layers of an onion; which is what most dark web links end in. (Ex. Instead of www.google.com it would be www.google.onion).

The onion network employs a technology known as onion routers.

These onion routers employ encryption in a multi-layered manner (hence the onion metaphor) to ensure perfect forward secrecy between relays, thereby providing users with anonymity in a network location.

On the flip side, the onion routers are the physical components of the hidden tunnel.

Now, let’s clear up a common mix-up. The deep web and dark web are not the same.

The term Deep web refers to anything on the internet that is not indexed by and, therefore, accessible via a search engine like Google.

Deep web contents include anything behind a paywall or requires sign-in credentials (password-protected pages). It also includes any content that its owners have blocked web crawlers from indexing — web crawlers are like the minions working for search engines that goes through pages across the internet.

It is estimated that the size of the deep web is 96% to 99% of the internet. Apparently, only a very tiny portion of the internet is the clearnet.

The dark web on the other hand is the subset that is intentionally hidden.

No one really knows the size of the dark web, but most estimates put it at around 5% of the total internet.

For a regular Joe, knowing there’s something called The Dark Web is enough. But for cybersecurity enthusiasts, it goes deeper — understanding why it exists and how to access it.

Digital forensic experts (the online detectives 🕵️) might fancy the dark web for surveillance and gathering of evidences.

“There is something bad in everything good and something good in everything bad” -Michael Lewis

Open societies use the dark net for creative anonymity and secrecy — useful for journalists and whistleblowers to communicate securely and leak information.

Warning ! If you’re going for a swim in the dark web, use a VPN. Most importantly, don’t do anything illegal or stupid.

Don’t give any information about you to anyone, not even your mom.

You won’t get arrested for just having a peek but don’t go to child porn sites. Except for that, you can go pretty much anywhere else.

Yes, even those drug selling marketplaces and arms dealing markets.

It’s like the virtual version of the underworld. Again, please don’t get carried away and buy weapons or drugs or stolen credit cards or ANYTHING!!!

Disclaimer: I’m not responsible for what you (the reader of this article) do in the darknet. This is just for educational purposes only.

Alright, in that case. Have fun while exploring new things everyday.

See you next week !