The web world is like a Deep well, a well full of information. The Information that we get on the web page is just superficial. But deep down there is enormous information, we can say the depth of information and knowledge at times untapped. Let us throw some light on this dark area of the web world the Dark Web.

People Who Interested in Dark World

• This part of the web world is accessed by around two point five million users, we can say on daily basis. They take help of the sites like Tor Network, which is also known by the other name, “The Onion Router.”
• The above-mentioned network is like an open book. The coded information is free for the general public, this helps to establish communication by not disclosing the identity of the person who is accessing the information.

Dark Web Contribution to Market

• If we study its market share then its contribution is meager just say six percent and this is just the surficial and some parts of the information available on this deeper web.
• Irrespective of its share, it captures ninety percent share in the market and it uses almost seventy-five thousand terabytes of the data.
• It will not be incorrect to say that it is the home for such websites which are hidden and it’s around three thousand such sites.
• Out of these three thousand, only sixty percent are involved in some of the other activities which are not at all legal.
• There was a major boost in its usage in the year 2020 due to the pandemic situation and growth in online marketing.
• It will be surprising to hear that the revenue generated a cryptocurrency, a revenue with an adjustment of around one point seven billion dollars in that year.

Country Wise Users

• There will definitely be no doubt to see the % of users worldwide due to its luring layers of hidden information that is not yet tapped.
• Let’s see some top users in this section.
• Not to surprise us the USA has the highest percentage of users that is thirty-four point eight percentage followed by Russia but with a huge margin and then the Germans, duchess and the French again with a huge margin.
• As high as 58.8%, of Tor users, were holders of a postgraduate qualification. This table shows graduates and high-school graduates. Together, they make up 17.7%. Only 5.9% of dark web users did not have a degree.
• A 2018 survey revealed that 84.7% (or 83%) of dark internet users are male. Only 9.4%, or around 84.7%, of all dark web users, are women.
• As many as 23.5% were 36-45 years old (four subjects), 11.8% were 18-25 years old (two subjects), and 5.9% were 46-55.
• Numbers speak for these countries and that shows how popular this dark web is in these countries.
• As we have already seen USA is the country with top most users, eight hundred thirty-one thousand approx. followed by the hierarchy mentioned in the above point but again with a huge margin.

Dark Web Details

• It is in coded form, available online in an encrypted form and this is to not disclose the identity.
• This is facilitated by the Department of the United States in the year 1990 with an intention to cover the work of these spies and help them to connect with their members anonymously.
• For enabling these anonymous users to tap this information there is some software, we can name one here the network named Tor, the domain of it does not end with a .com but with .onion so that people cannot reach this part so easily.
• Websites around six five thousand are now accessed through this network named Tor and it will not be exaggerating to say that these numbers are growing.
• The word Dark web though has a skeptical name and arouse doubt about its legitimate usage, it will be hard to believe that it is used for both the purposes that are for legal and even illegal purpose.
• The work segments which cannot disclose their work and identity to the world also make a good amount of use of this web world especially journalism, detectives, Investigation bureaus, etc.
• Ten percent of untapped and encrypted information is available via the rooms for chatting and conferences.
• The dark net protects users’ privacy and encourages freedom of speech. On the other side, it makes the criminal activity more accessible and easier to engage in.

Deep vs Dark Web Facts

• The Deep Web’s size is staggering. There is about 7.500 TB worth of information within the Deep Web, compared with approximately 550 TB for the surface Web.
• The dark web is just one aspect of this vast digital world. Many dark websites are well-hidden and encrypted. This makes them more difficult to find and easier to explore.
• The Deep Web makes up more than 90% of the total internet space.
• It’s much bigger than the web surface. This is where you can find all the services such as Google, YouTube, and FB as well as news outlets. The internet’s vastness makes it impossible to estimate the total number of websites.
• The dark web is just a fraction (or a very small part) of the Deep Web.
• About 0.01% is the dark web percentage within the Deep Web. Additionally, many Dark Web sites are believed to either be inactive or fraudulent even though there is a small number.
• The dark internet isn’t an illegal thing.
• There are many sites on the dark web that don’t violate any laws. However, the dark web is full of illicit content.
• The Hidden Wiki has been a popular search engine for deep and dark Web in 2022.
• Tor is the preferred dark web browser for most users. There are many other dark-web search engines that are popular among darknet users. These include Ahmia DarkSearch Haystack, DarkSearch, and Haystack.
• Bitcoin is the dominant currency on the dark and deep internet.
• Bitcoin’s primary advantages include anonymity, decentralization, and leaving no trace. These characteristics make Bitcoin perfect for deep- and dark-web transactions. Bitcoin isn’t necessarily the only currency on the dark net.
• Sources say that 12 other cryptocurrencies are valid for dark web transactions.

Users of the Internet Country-wise

• Now let’s see the names of the countries which are using these technologies of the dark web in innominateness. India is the top most and Turkey the lowest sandwiching the countries Russia, Brazil and Indonesia. India at a percentage of twenty-six and Turkey at a percentage of sixteen.

Websites Accessed Through Dark Web

• At least 38 darknet websites are often illegal counterparts to online marketplaces like Amazon or eBay.
• There could be at the minimum thirty-eight such darknet websites which are operating illegally complementing online shopping sites like eBay or Amazon.
• These online shops through their illegal sites sell drugs, exchange documents, invalid or false documents, certificates, currencies, ammunition, etc.
• Phishing is the art of getting internet users to divulge sensitive data. It involves creating an identical website to a well-respected company or sending a fake email inviting them to divulge their credit card information.
• Data leaks are when hackers gain access to websites or companies that store large quantities of credit card data.
• Different types of malware are also used by professional black hat hackers (e.g., Trojans). These types of malware are easy to build and deploy.
• Is it dangerous to use the dark web? If you don’t believe so, it might be time to change your mind.
• The 2031 estimate is a stark contrast to this. Both consumers and businesses may be attacked every 2 minutes.
• While 2021 dark internet stats like these may look quite manageable, they should not to be underestimated. The next one follows the same pattern.
• LookOut discovered that the number and severity of data breaches occurred in 2021, surpassing the 2020 number by October a study. Within the first 10 years of the year, 281.5 million customers were impacted.
• The study also revealed that around 82% of all consumers have had their personal information leaked onto the dark Web. Email addresses aren’t all at risk. 70% of consumers reported having their phone numbers compromised. 10% said that they had had driver’s licensing information leaked. 7% reported that they’ve had their social insurance numbers leaked online.
• Lookout believes that a large part of this problem can be attributed to people using low-quality passwords. 60% of people re-use passwords in multiple accounts.

ITRC has revealed that ransomware-related data compromises have doubled over the past two years according to its 2021 Annual Data Breach Report. This team, which authored the report, believes that ransomware attacks will overtake phishing to be the most common cause of data compromises by 2022.

These findings suggest that many of those data points you could purchase from the dark net might have been compromised by ransomware-focused attacks. The study revealed that data compromises have increased in every sector except for the military. The greatest increase (217%) was in the manufacturing and utility industries over 2020.

What is sold on Dark Web?

• The alarming information to be reflected upon is now. More than digging the stats on the users, it is shocking to see what is sold on these sites.
• When the world was struggling during the pandemic, these dark web users were selling drugs online and people were buying them generating revenue of around 200 million dollars.
• Along with the mass adoption and growth of cryptocurrency, so has the dark web drug market.
• Cryptocurrency no doubt is a booming industry but the dealers are anonymous and there is no need to reveal their identities.
• Fraudshops are also big players as they offer lucrative services that make money.
• These include selling bank account data and debit/credit card numbers, creating fake diplomas from Ivy League universities, and helping with money laundering.
• Firearms shops are one percent of the market. Pistols represent eighty-four percent.
• Passwords are one of the most common products sold on the dark web, according to information from the Dark Web Price Index. The latest data revealed by Nordpass and Tech co indicates criminals have a lot of options to choose from, as the average person has around 100 passwords to remember.

Prices For The Items Sold On Dark Web

The prices are at purpose set lower than the market price to get more demand and increase the sale. The below list will tell us how the items which are more in demand are put up to increase the sale. Right from fake passports to banking login details the prices are mentioned on these sites. For a fake or a forged passport of EU the price is four thousand dollars and the login credentials are sold at the lowest value of one and twenty dollars. This list also includes hacked accounts, Android Malware, Instances, and Duplicate credit cards.

Rate of Acceptance and Top Cryptocurrencies

Today, many cryptocurrencies have emerged as accepted payment methods via the dark web.

Below is the list and acceptance rate of some of the cryptocurrencies most commonly used for dark internet transactions.

Litecoin – 30%

Dash – 20%

Bitcoin Cash – 13%

Ethereum – 9%

Monero – 6%

Bitcoin continues to enjoy 100% acceptance and is, therefore, the most used dark-web cryptocurrency. But, those days are long gone.

Inferences

• The increased demand for anonymity during internet transactions has led to the popularity of the dark web.
• It’s also serving as a breeding area for illegal activities.
• We hope you enjoyed the information about the dark web and how many people use it. Don’t forget that illegal activities are highly punished by the authorities.
• Be cautious when you use the internet.

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