Research of Levels of Web: Dark Web and Deep Web

Abstract

In this ever changing globalized world, there is exchange of data and information amongst the millions of people all around the world. Some are personal and other are highly classified documents. Privacy and security has always been an issue in this world of Information Technology.

To achieve that, numerous strategies and advancements are made, one of which is classification of web into three different levels, such as Surface, Deep and Dark web. Surface web is the one that is accessed in our daily life while Deep web is the one that is not indexed by the standard search engines.

There has always been a confusion in terms of difference between Deep and Dark web. It is not exactly know how big is the deep web but is known to be covering 96% of internet world, which means only 4 % is surface web. Deep web is inaccessible to public and it mostly contains database and account information. Another level of web that is hidden underneath the Deep web is Dark web.

Unlike Deep web, Dark web lies within the deep web which is accessible to public with normal browsing tools. To access the Dark web, special tool is needed which is called Tor browser. Tor Browser is known for the anonymity while surfing the internet. However, it is not fully secure as within that world there are lots of criminals and government agents trying to find for loop holes and unlawful activities. Some websites such as Silk Road, AlphaBay and Hansa were involved into criminal transaction and mischiefs for which they got arrested and charged for the cybercrime. For the transaction in the dark web in place of normal currencies, cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin is used to avoid their identity in the cyber world.

Other side of the story is that, Dark web is not always for criminal purpose as it is the platform where whistle blowers, activists and people with political views can open up legitimate information while they try to cover their identity.

Introduction

In this world of Globalization the Information Technology has advanced to the level of complexity and uncertainty when it comes to surfing internet with security. There are classification of web which is widely known as surface and deep web. Surface web is one that is accessed by users daily such as Google, Yahoo, YouTube, etc. Deep web is another level that is hidden from the public domain for security and privacy. Data that is hidden and protected from the public domain such as bank details, personal details are considered to be the deep web covering 96% of the entire internet world, it is often depicted by the ice berg for clear demonstration and understanding of the concept. Within the deep web there is small portion which is called Dark Web, this is where the criminal activities and nefarious actions are found to be happening. This is because dark web is considered to be better for its anonymity while in the internet. To achieve the level of anonymity while surfing the internet they use the technology such as Tor browser which is known for hiding the source of request through random loops of computers in between the source and destination. To further make the things secure and complicated for the law enforcement they use crypto currencies such as Bitcoins.

What is Surface Web?

Surface web are those websites and information readily available on the internet in other words which are indexed by the search engines and doesn’t need special permission. It is also known as Clearnet and Web. Surface web has been very beneficial to the entire world when it comes to globalization of the world. It has brought the society closer to each other. Moreover, it has contributed enormously in the field of medicine, education and science. Some of the examples are in medicine, it has advanced to the level of Remote medical care where if there is a shortage of doctors and specialist the assistance can be achieved through the internet. Likewise, in education it has immensely benefitted the facilitators and learns in gaining knowledge and experience through online tutorials and assistances. And also in science surface web has contributed from the development of new technology to the exchange of ideas. With this benefit there are still some security and malicious content issues. But this surface web consists of only 4% of internet, other 96% is known as the deep web which is hidden from the public domain.

What is Deep Web?

Deep web is inaccessible to the public and it is not indexed in the search engines, which means search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing cannot list the links. It is also known as Dark net, Hidden web and Invisible Web. This is the area where the most of the confidential data are stored. To access such information person should have authority with authentic credentials. Some of the examples are: Bank details, classified documents, private emails, drop box, Public records. Etc. Such web are useful when it comes to covering the secret file and personal information. And it also helps organizations and individuals to share and access information with desired individuals. Deep web is hidden part of the internet world, which means that most of the information are in the database of the company secured with username and password. In other words these information are accessible by only the authorized users.

What is in the Deep Web?

Deep web contains the private and protected information, some of the examples are:

• The content of your personal email accounts: such as Gmail, Yahoo, and other email accounts. They are protected with username and password. Only the authentic users can access the account.
• The content of your social media accounts: good example is Facebook profile and account which is only accessible to authorized users.
• The content of your online banking accounts: Online Banking and Transactions of the user is protected and secured whereby only the authorized users can access the account and it is not in the public domain.
• Data that companies store on their private database: all the data in the database of the company is also considered as part of deep web as it is not shared in the public domain.
• Content contained within scientific and academic database: Governments and Agencies, especially in the research area are kept secret and classified and not exposed to the public domain.
• Medical records: Medical records are also very important for research as well as for the privacy. The medical records of the renowned people are kept secret from the public domain.
• Legal documents: Legal documents such as case files and property records are kept secret to avoid the public interest.

A lot of what exists on the deep web consists of information that you probably wouldn’t want to turn up in a web – like you r checking account – because it’s private and could be misused. (Symantec Corporation, n.d.)

How Safe is Deep Web?

In the cyber world there is no such as 100% surety and secure. Comparably, deep web is known for the security by the fact that it is hidden with authentication. There are within that the curious minds who are always trying to take the chance for the loopholes.

Deep web is known to be quite safe when compared to Dark Web. Since it is where the personal information and authenticity happens. But the user should be aware of the vulnerability in the internet world. For example we access our emails and do banking online without much concern, this is one example of how safe the deep web is.

As the deep web contains lots of hidden information and documents of value, this attracts lots cyber criminals. For that reason it is always recommended to be aware of it and take security measures while in the deep web. Some of the security measures are creating strong password with appropriate length and combination of special characters along with timely change.

While the deep web is relatively safe, it’s always smart to practice safe internet habits. (Symantec Corporation, n.d.)

What is Dark web?

Dark web is small portion of the deep web. It is also known as Tor Hidden Services and Darknet. To browse this type of website, special tool called Tor browser is required, which hides the identity of the user through falsifying the IP address and location. To access the dark web user should ensure the anonymity. This type of web is used mostly for illegal purpose and nefarious activities such as black market for drugs, trafficking and weapons. Crypto currencies such as Bitcoin is used to conduct such illegal transactions in the black market. Some of the web sites involved in criminal business are Silk Road, AlphaBay and Hansa. Unfortunately, they are taken down by law enforcement for criminal doing.

Other side of the story is that the dark web is not totally used by the criminals, it also helps whistle blowers, activists and organizations whose intention is to help the world and preserve their identity while passing the truth and legit information.

Is Dark Web Safe?

It is not always unsafe to browse the darkweb. As this kind of web sites are used by the students, researchers and government and non-government organizations for deeper understanding of the internet world. But it is not safe to browse it for illegal purpose since there are dedicated government agents spying and filtering the Tor browsers.

Moreover, since the Tor servers keep the users and publishers completely anonymous there is high risk of cyber threats. Some of the risks listed are:

• Viruses. Some web sites contains lots of virus and malware you should be aware of viruses. You should not download anything from the website that you don’t trust.
• Hackers. You can find hacker forum in the dark web. Dark web is the platform where hackers can be hired to do illegal activities. Your device can be hacked at any time while browsing the dark web.
• Webcam hijacking. A website on the dark web may try to get a remote administration tool – also known as a “RAT” – onto the device. That can lead to someone hijacking your webcam – essentially, letting then see what you are up to through your device’s camera lens. It’s a smart practice to cover your webcam with a piece of paper or tape if you are not using it. (Symantec Corporation, n.d.)

No matter how anonymous the dark web appear to be law enforcement is always watchful for the illegal transaction and activities and successful in taking down the criminals. 

Silk Road

Silk Road was an online black market and the first modern darknet market, best known as a platform for selling illegal drugs. As part of dark web, it was operated as a Tor hidden service such that online users were able to browse it anonymously and securely without potential traffic monitoring. The website was launched in February 2011; development had begun six months prior. Initially there were a limited number of new seller accounts available; new sellers had to purchase an account in an auction. Later, a fixed fee was charged for each new seller account.

In October 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shut down the website and arrested Ross Ulbricht under charges of being the site’s Pseudonymous fonder “Dread Pirate Robert”. On 6 November 2013, Silk Road 2.0 came online, run by former administrators of Silk Road. It too was shut down, and the alleged operators was arrested on 6th November 2014 as part of the so-called “Operation Onymous”. Ulbricht was convicted of eight charges related to Silk Road in the U.S. Federal Court in Manhattan and was sentenced to life in Prison without possibility of parole. (Wikipedia, n.d.)

AlphaBay

In July of 2017, U.S. authorities along with law enforcement in Europe and Asia announced the takedown of the dark web’s largest illicit market.

AlphaBay was a Tor hidden service whos transactions used Bitcoin, Monero. Ethereum and other Cryptocurrencies. It sold everything from malware and hacking tools to drugs. Counterfeit goods and even toxic chemicals. The market was also used to launder hundreds of millions of dollars. Sadly, the Department of Justice could attribute overdose deaths of Oregon and Florida to drugs purchased through AlphaBay.

AlphaBay had an estimated 200,000 users and 40,000 vendors on the site. More than 250,000 listings for drugs and toxic chemicals were found for sale, as well as 100,000 for malware, hacking tools, guns and more. To give a sense of scale, Silk Road had 14,000 listings at the time it was seized by authorities.

The takedown came after the July 5th arrest of the creator and administrator of AlphaBay, Alexandre Cases. A Canadian living in Thailand who committed suicide in custody a week later. Cazes’ assets and those of his wife were seized, including homes, luxury cars and a Thai hotel. According to the Department of Justice Cazes owned millions in cryptocurrency form the AlphaBay operations. (Kaspersky, n.d.)

Hansa

Hansa was a online darknet market which operated on a hidden service of the Tor network.

With the closure of AlphaBay in July 2017, it was predicted to become one of the leading markets. However on July 20, 2017 it was revealed that it had been compromised by law enforcement for several weeks before closing shortly after AlphaBay as a culmination of multinational law enforcement operation “Operation Bayonet”.

Dutch police discovered the true location of the site, after a 2016 tip from security researchers who had discovered a development version. The police quickly began moinitoring all actions on the site, and discovered that the administrators had left behind old IRC chat logs including their full names and even a home address, and they began to monitor them. Although the administrators soon moved the site to another unknown host, they got another break in April 2017 by tracing bitcoin transactions, which allow them to identify the new hosting company, in Lithuania.

On June 20, 2017, German police arrested the administrators (two German men) and the Dutch police were able to take complete control of the site and to impersonate the administrators. Their plan, in coordination with the FBI, was to absorb users coming over from the upcoming AlphaBay shutdown. (Wikipedia, n.d.)

About Tor Network

Tor is a program you can run on your computer that helps keep you safe on the Internet. It protects you by bouncing your communications around a distributed network of relays run by volunteers all around the world: it prevents somebody watching your internet connection from learning what sites you visit, and it prevents the sites you from learning your physical location. This set of volunteer relays is called the Tor network. The way most people use Tor is with tor Browser, which is a version of Firefox that fixes many privacy issues. (TOR, n.d.)

Tor is short for the Onion Router (thus the logo) and was initially a world network of servers developed with the US Navy that enabled people to browse the internet anonymously. Now, it’s a non-profit organization whose main purpose is to research and development of online privacy tools. (Klosowski, 2014)

Tor is a browsing tool use to surf the web anonymously. Tor network is made up of countless nodes or relay points that pass your data along using encryption. When it pass through the nodes it peels back the lays one at a time. Each node decrypts only the enough information to know where to send the packed until it reaches to the destination through the exit node, none of nodes know identity of both client and server.

However, Tor is also not completely anonymous while it will be difficult to know your identity. While exiting the node form the Exit node it does not necessarily mean the data will be encrypted from which your identity can be exposed.

Tor also has the limitation for downloading large files. Since the network is slow as it bounces through the relays of different computers all around the world.

Web sites that are blocked or in other words not indexed by the standard search engines can be browsed using Tor browser. People use Tor to stay away from the preying eyes of the world. And also Tor is used for the nefarious activities and business for which they use Crypto currencies such as Bitcoin.

About Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a digital currency, also known as a cryptocurrency. It was invented in 2008 by an anonymous person or group named Satoshi Nakamoto. Unlike fiat currencies, bitcoins are not physical objects. Instead, they exist in the virtual world as snippets of code. This hasn’t stopped people from imagining what a bitcoin might look like in reality, and the crypto space is filled with artistic renderings of gold coins emblazoned with a B! (Bitcoin Australia, n.d.)

Bitcoin is decentralized currency, it is used in most Dark Web transactions because it is known to be more anonymous than any other form of payment. The reason is that cryptocurrency is not related to Central Bank and its functions independently. When it comes to the value it is highly volatile and the value can shoot up or fall down at any time.

Conclusion

All in all, there are three levels of web namely surface, deep and dark web. Surface web is where the daily normal web browsing happens for the normal users and deep web is where most of the private information and files are stored. From these three levels, deep web covers most of the portion where within the deep web lies small percentage known to be the dark web. Dark web is not necessarily be for the criminal activities it is also used for the privacy and legitimate purposes. While dark web is used by the criminals it is also helping activists and stakeholders to cover their identity while trying to help the world with genuine information. For that matter, dark web has the brighter side in the future where privacy rights can be voiced. Bitcoin is another paradigm shift in using currency for the daily transactions while protecting the privacy. To conclude it is always good to be smart in the internet and play a safe game.

References

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6. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Hansa (market). Retrieved from Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansa_(market)
7. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Silk Road (marketplace). Retrieved from Wikepedia: The Free Encyclopedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_(marketplace)