It's easy to think of the dark web as the Wild West of the internet – illegal guns, drugs, child pornography and murder for hire are just some of the dark web links things you can buy.

While it’s true that criminal activities occur on the darknet, it is not a place for criminals alone. Here are six dark web myths and facts to consider.
Myth 1: The Dark Web is Safe

When most people hear the term “Dark Web” they assume it’s a scary place filled with illicit goods and hidden services. This may be due to news reports or movies that highlight nefarious activities that take place on the darknet. However, this is not always the case.

While criminals do use the darknet to conduct illegal transactions, there is also a wide variety of legal businesses and services available on the darknet. In addition, there are a number of companies that offer security programs and services that are specifically designed for the darknet. These include Surfwatch Labs, Matchlight, Massive, and ID Agent. Many of these companies also provide a Dark Web scan for business owners that are concerned that their data is being sold on the darknet.

The darknet is simply a portion of the Internet that is not indexed by search engines like Google. While there are certain advantages to this, it can also make it harder for law enforcement agencies to track activity. This is one of the primary reasons that criminals take advantage of it.

Some examples of darknet activity include the sale of drugs, weapons, and prohibited pornography. In addition, the darknet can be used to spread propaganda and support neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups. The first darknet marketplace, Silk Road, was shut down by the FBI in 2013 but it was followed by many imitators.

While the darknet can be dangerous, it’s important to understand what it really is before you start to worry about it. By doing this, you can avoid common misconceptions that could leave your business vulnerable to nefarious activity on the darknet. By putting these six darknet myths to rest, you can focus on your business without fear of becoming a victim of a darknet attack.
Myth 2: It’s Easy to Access

It’s no secret that the Dark Web is home to a lot of criminal activity. The brazen sale of drugs, weapons and pornography are among the most well-known activities taking place on this part of the Internet. However, there are many other types of legal activity taking place on the Dark Web as well.

One of the biggest myths about the Dark Web is that it’s easy to access. While the majority of this part of the Internet is accessible through conventional browsers, there are some portions that cannot be accessed without specialized software or services. The most famous of these is the Tor network. Tor is a series of servers that route Internet traffic to protect users’ privacy. It can be used in conjunction with a standard web browser to access sites on the Dark Web.

Even when using Tor, there are still some obstacles to navigating the Dark Web. Many websites don’t want their content to be indexed by search engines, so they hide information behind Captcha codes or heavily Ajaxified pages. Some sites also have a shady reputation, which can make them harder to find and trust. For example, in the past people were fooled by a site that claimed to offer “hitman” services.

It’s not impossible to navigate the Dark Web, but it does require a little bit of extra effort and specialized tools. The good news is that there are plenty of resources available to help you get started. Once you have the right equipment, you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for quickly and easily. Just be sure to stay safe out there! The last thing you want is to end up in a “red room” – a popular Dark Web urban legend that involves real-life snuff films of murders.
Myth 3: It’s Easy to Find

The internet can feel like an enormously complicated place that holds information on everyone and everything. And when you hear about things such as the Dark Web, it can be a bit nerve-wracking. This ominous term invokes images of illicit goods, hacking services, and dark trolls lurking in hidden chat rooms. In truth, though, it is much less scary than many people think.

The Dark Web is a subsection of the Internet that consists of websites and databases that are not indexed by big search engines such as Google. Usually, the sites on this portion of the web require a username and password to access. This is because a lot of the data is constantly changing, and web crawlers would have trouble keeping up.

These sites are primarily used as marketplaces for illegal items such as drugs, firearms, stolen credit card accounts, and even child pornography. There are also forums where users can hire hackers to commit cybercrimes on their behalf. It is not uncommon to find viruses on these sites as well, so it’s important to always be vigilant.

In fact, there is a website on the Deep Web that specializes in malware removal. While it may seem strange for a company like this to be selling products on the Dark Web, it’s important to remember that a majority of these websites are run by people who need the money for their families.

So while you should be wary of downloading content from the Dark Web, it is not nearly as dangerous as many people think. This is mainly because the US government does not control or own Tor, the network that makes up most of this portion of the Internet.
Myth 4: It’s Easy to Scam

Since the dark web came into existence, there have been rumors and reports of all manner of seedy businesses operating in its shadows. Some are true, others are not. There are indeed illicit drug markets and human trafficking on the dark web. There are also sites offering snuff movies and other gruesome content. There are even “red rooms” where people, usually women, are tortured to death on camera while viewers type commands into a chat window in a style similar to the movie Hostel.

But there is much more to the dark web than sex and violence. It also hosts a lot of stolen personal information and identity theft tools that can be used for fraud. In fact, in 2020 alone American consumers lost $56 billion to credit card and identity theft scams. In order to keep their operations going, fraudsters turn to the dark web for stolen personal information, hacked data and other tools of the trade.

For instance, a criminal can buy stolen credit card information from the dark web, then stamp it on blank cards and use them to make payments. Or, they can buy a credit card reader and cloning device from the dark web and use it to hack into other people’s accounts to steal their identities or money. There are even sites where fraudulent home deeds are sold, allowing criminals to transfer the ownership of your property to their name.

These stories of nefarious activity on the dark web have led many to believe that the dark web is a dangerous place where only criminals operate. However, the reality is that it’s not as difficult or scary as people think. With the right software, anyone can access and learn about the dark web. To get started, download the Tails operating system and Tor browser to your computer.
Myth 5: It’s Easy to Detect

The Dark Web is a hidden area of the Internet where people can share illegal content. It is accessible only through a special network that hides users’ IP addresses. This makes it impossible for search engines to find or index its contents. In order to access the Dark Web, a user needs a browser that supports Tor or other similar networks and authorization.

There are plenty of illegal activities on the Dark Web, including drugs, firearms, and even stolen personal information. This is why it’s important for business owners to know what this area of the Internet is and how it might affect them.

A common myth about the Dark Web is that it’s like a Wild West-esque landscape where criminals can do anything they want without being caught. While it is true that some illegal activities do take place on the Dark Web, it is not as widespread or easy to find as many people believe.

For example, the Dark Web is much smaller than the surface web – there are only a few thousand sites hosted on the Tor network. In comparison, the surface web has over a billion websites.

However, there are companies that can help business owners monitor the Dark Web for their sensitive information. IDStrong, for example, can alert you if your social security number shows up on the Dark Web and then monitors your credit to ensure identity thieves don’t use it to open new accounts or take out loans.

There is no guarantee that your data won’t show up on the Dark Web, but you can help reduce your risk by being proactive about protecting your information. If you’re interested in learning more about how to protect your business, contact us today!