Secrets of the Darknet. We are looking for useful things in Tor hidden services. Amazing every day

This text was created for informational purposes only, does not call for action and does not contain links to any sites. In addition, we remind you that the production, sale and transfer of narcotic and psychotropic substances is a criminal offense in accordance with Art. 228-231 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

What is the deep internet

The Internet that we use every day is called the “surface web” (from the English “surface web”). You don't need special tools to access it - a working connection is enough. All pages of the “surface” Internet can be easily found using any search engine, and user actions on the Internet and data about them are available to Internet providers. Accordingly, they can also be tracked by law enforcement agencies in accordance with a court decision.

In addition to the surface network, there is also the deep Internet (from the English “deep web”). You cannot find pages from the deep web using a regular search engine.- they are not indexed by search engines. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately estimate the size of this segment of the Internet.

Links to pages on the deep web work in a special .onion format, so you can’t open them with a regular browser. To access the deep network, you need special programs that preserve user anonymity and encrypt traffic.

There is also darknet is a closed network within the deep internet. The concepts of “deep web” and “darknet” are often confused, but the darknet has a fundamental difference from the usual deep network.

The deep Internet is a single network hidden from search engines, but there can be several darknets, and each of them requires special access. So, to get into each of the popular darknets - Freenet, RetroShare or I2P - you need to install separate software.

Why do we need a “hidden” Internet?

There can be many reasons for creating pages on the deep web or one of the darknets. The main advantage of closed networks compared to superficial ones is, of course, anonymity. Therefore, the hidden Internet is often used for illegal activities.

Drugs, weapons, fake documents, and even people are traded on darknet trading platforms. If desired, you can also find contacts of a contract killer on the darknet.

In addition, user data often leaks onto the dark Internet - hackers who break into databases periodically leak them into closed networks. The easiest way to pay on local markets is with cryptocurrency - again, due to the fact that it allows you to remain anonymous.

Another option for illegal activities on the darknet is distribution of pirated content. However, this won’t surprise anyone even on the “surface”. And in countries where authorities are actively pursuing piracy, the dark internet comes to the aid of lovers of free content.

The deep web and darknet have gained notoriety due to the fact that they are often used by criminals. Nevertheless, Illegal activity is not the only use of hidden networks.

There, for example, human rights activists and journalists from totalitarian and authoritarian states create their pages. On the darknet, they are not afraid of either censorship or authorities. The deep Internet is an excellent platform for the fight for freedom of speech and it can be used not only for illegal purposes.

What useful things can you find on the deep web?

The deep web isn't just about sites for criminals. We have collected several links that may be useful to ordinary law-abiding citizens.

What is the dark side of the Internet? For the uninitiated, who heard such a term for the first time, it will seem something very mysterious and, perhaps, even frightening. And there is a reason for this. The whole horror is that, contrary to the colorful epithet, the dark side of the Internet is a more than real phenomenon, information about which is recommended to be read only for superficial acquaintance and in no case calls for active use.

What it is?

The dark side of the Internet implies anonymity. That is, this is an opportunity to “surf” the network without leaving traces behind. And although this can be done without any malicious intent, under such conditions many not entirely legal, or rather, completely illegal, things happen. That's why it's the dark side of the Internet.

Why might this be needed?

A network on top of a network is a short description of the darknet. What is hidden in the dark side of the Internet, how to get there - many other nuanced questions are currently becoming relevant. And all because they provide access opportunities to which now (taking into account all kinds of laws against piracy) are becoming more and more numerous.

And, of course, ordinary human curiosity. Sometimes it is precisely this that makes the user go to the other side of the Internet - fortunately, it sounds intriguing and promising. Well, in a sense this is true. But, unfortunately, not in the best way.

Two sides of the coin, or How it was

The Internet is a powerful, uncontrollable element. It plays a significant role in the lives of modern people. It’s not surprising that the authorities of many countries would like to subjugate it - what a means of mind control! Freedom-loving “users” and advanced “hackers,” however, resist with dignity and honor. And so it turned out that it was divided: into a visible part, like sites provided by search engines, and an invisible, dark one, providing anonymity, which implies more freedom and space. But freedom is a dangerous thing, and it can be used in different ways. Most people find it dizzying, and the risk that comes with walking on sharp edges only makes them more nervous. But this is not something to play with.

How to get there?

Let's continue the conversation about what the dark side of the Internet means. there? Well, from the outside everything seems not so complicated: for this they use a special client - that is, a specific browser with which you can access specific sites. This uses .onion domains.

Whenever the dark side of the Internet is mentioned, TOR immediately comes up in conversations. This is the name of that very necessary client. It is not the only one of its kind, but it is the most popular.

How does he work?

Tor forms a chain of encrypted connections: thus, when a user goes to a specific site, he leaves no traces. Anonymity is provided not only to “users” who want to visit resources whose legality is questioned (pirate torrent trackers are the most innocent of them), but also to such sites themselves.

What's the trick?

The question might arise: is it not so invisible, the dark side of the Internet? "Thor" is not such a hidden fact, and there are countless articles on this topic.

You could say the principle of “hidden in plain sight” is at work here. TOR works with so-called onion routing, the network connection of which cannot be traced. The client may be known, as well as the technology, there are also instructions on how to enter the dark side of the Internet. But how to find out who else is using it, whose website offers illegal services or carries out illegal trade - the question is much more complicated.

Underwater rocks

The multi-step, intricate route that Tor offers provides a certain level of anonymity that is necessary for certain users. But, as you know, for every action there is a reaction, and not everything becomes so simple. Surveillance of the user can be carried out using malicious software, in simple terms - viruses, for example, the well-known "Trojans". Such software is embedded directly into the browser and, instead of anonymity, the average “user” receives a “pig in a poke” as a gift from some “hacker” who has made an infected Tor client publicly available.

How to access the onion website?

The first step is to download and install Thor directly. It can be taken from the official website. The download package, in turn, contains everything you need: the client itself for accessing the network, and a proxy server that will “cut out” the “unnecessary” from the traffic, and a program that helps you conveniently manage all this goodness, ensuring anonymity and unhindered surfing the "invisible side of the Web".

Then you can start searching for resources. Beginners are advised to start with hidden Wikipedia, which will redirect the user wherever he wants, and it would be better if this was communication on harmless anonymous forums.

More alternatives

By the way, not only Tor gives access to the “other side”. There is also FreeNet - essentially not a client, but also YaCy (which is a search engine). I2P is also developing rapidly. Now it is she who is the most technically advanced.

I2P has been nicknamed “the ultimate paranoid network” because it has the highest level of anonymity. On the other hand, this also causes the main disadvantage - malfunctions and low speed, which is spent on constant re-encryption and changing tunnels. Strengthened cryptography loads not only the browser, but also the computer processor, through which access to the dark side of the Internet is provided, and this has its own, not rosy, consequences.

Advantages and disadvantages of TOR

The very widespread TOR, on the one hand, provides both anonymity and comfortable surfing, and on the other hand, it is already blocked in many countries. But, actually, it’s for the better.

The essence of building the TOR network

The network is built by volunteers who establish exit points. They provide completely anonymous channels to access sites. Resources on the .onion domain are internal Thor sites, essentially hidden web servers. This is double-level anonymity: on the one hand, the owner of the site cannot be tracked, on the other, neither he (the owner) nor anyone else can track the visitor.

Blocking resources is also very problematic - there are great difficulties in determining the location of the site server.

Network nodes are divided into:

• those through which traffic passes are relays;
• those through which access to the “big” Internet occurs, that is, providing access to blocked sites, for example, pirated torrent trackers, etc. - exit nodes;
• those used in countries where Thor is banned are called "bridges".

Warnings

Anonymity is not called absolute for nothing. There is still a small chance of surveillance. In addition, the possibility of being “discovered” increases if you take rash actions: for example, entering passwords. On the darknet, this is almost the stupidest thing you can do.

The open list of relays also raises concerns. What does this mean? In the world, this means that Tor is completely or partially blocked on many sites on the “light” Internet. Wikipedia, for example, does not allow you to edit articles through it.

Don't jump down the rabbit hole, Alice...

Curiosity, as they say, killed the cat. So before you rush into the pool, and in this particular case, the darknet, you should first read what you can find there.

So, the most popular topics on the other side of the Internet:

• 18+, sex services;
• social networks are also of an intimate nature;
• politics (currently relevant Ukrainian topics);
• trade in illegal means (weapons, drugs, bitcoin currency);
• stolen databases, stolen bank card data;
• closed resources, access to which is blocked even for the majority of darknet users.

Is it worth it?

All of the above topics are not innocent jokes, but real, actively developing crime. It is on the dark side of the Internet that killers freely place their advertisements for services, and the “dark”, or as it is also called, hidden “WikiPedia” provides articles on pedophilia and other perversions for reading - not in purely scientific language, indicating criminal penalties, but in in the form of instructions to help the “beginner”. There is active trade on darknet forums: methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fake passports and government data. Going there is like a "bad area" on the streets. And the worst thing is that all this is real. So, is simple curiosity worth it? Because, ultimately, this is a problem that needs a solution.

The Hacker editors had at their disposal a database of more than eight thousand links to sites on the darknet. This is a nearly complete registry of working open resources available on Tor Hidden Services. We have selected the most interesting ones to tell our readers about them.

WARNING

Carders' forum, a collection of photographs of women crushing animals with their heels, a mirror of the Russian Counter-Strike forum, women with marijuana leaves and buds in their intimate places, someone's file dump with a bunch of books and a binder of old issues of "Hacker", a forum for gun lovers, photographs pissing women, an archive of books in Chinese, a forum for men interested in penis enlargement, and, of course, drugs in all types, forms and states of aggregation. All this can be seen in less than ten minutes of exploring the dark side of the web.

It's not so easy to dig something out of this pile of garbage. We automatically followed all the links, and out of eight thousand pages, only 4,300 were opened. About a thousand sites immediately require authorization or show a login form without any explanation - you can’t get there on a crooked goat. There are also a lot of empty pages, pages with the default response from the web server, as well as various mirrors, clones and stubs. In general, even if we take into account that some potentially useful sites are not available 100% of the time and simply did not make it into our database, in general there are not so many live resources collected - maybe a couple of thousand.

Using Tor from Python

Requesting pages from your scripts via Tor is not much more difficult than from the regular Internet. All you need is a local Tor node (just open Tor Browser), Python and the . Here is a script that downloads the main page of The Pirate Bay via Tor and displays its contents. You'll probably figure out how to download something else.

Import socks, socket, urllib url = "http://hss3uro2hsxfogfq.onion" def create_connection(address, timeout=None, source_address=None): sock = socks.socksocket() sock.connect(address) return sock socks.setdefaultproxy( socks.PROXY_TYPE_SOCKS5, "127.0.0.1", 9150, True) socket.socket = socks.socksocket socket.create_connection = create_connection contents = urllib.urlopen(url).read() print contents

What are these resources? After preliminary sorting, it turned out that the set of topics was extremely narrow. A significant part of the sites are shops and trading platforms, designed in the form of forums or auctions in the style of eBay. Drugs, weapons, fake documents, stolen goods, credit cards, exploits, botnets - all this can be found in abundance on virtual junkyards. We'll talk more about specific examples later.

This category also includes sites that offer various services - from bitcoin laundering to contract killings. And if the first sounds plausible, then the second is probably a hoax. Fraud, consider it, is adjacent to the store segment, making it even larger.

Another large segment is various kinds of pornography. From delights like those listed at the beginning of the article, to the usual variety, which is abundant on the open Internet.

Actually, a considerable share of resources raises the question: why was it hidden in .onion? Libertarian blogs, hacker manifestos, home pages... It often feels like someone just wanted to show off or practice hosting a site in a fashionable way. Such resources disappear one after another - their owners quickly realize that maintaining a server is expensive, and there is no point in it.

Search and directories

The first thing you want to provide yourself with when you find yourself on an alternative version of the Internet is a search engine. There seem to be no problems here: there are Torch, Grams, not Evil, Fess, Candle, Ahima, and maybe a couple of lesser-known attempts to repeat Google’s success on the dark web.

We will not undertake to compare search engines, objectively assessing the quality of the results: this requires cunning metrics and techniques that we do not have. Based on purely subjective feelings, Grams has seriously spammy results, while Evil and Torch poorly sort the results: completely random garbage may appear at the top instead of large sites. This is not always a drawback (garbage can be interesting too), but in the end we found Fess the most enjoyable.

But in the case of the dark web, searching a la Google is not nearly as cool and universal a solution as on the regular Internet. Firstly, the most interesting things are hidden on forums, which often require authorization, and search engines are overwhelmed. Secondly, there are so few resources in general that the search loses all meaning: for different requests you will come across the same sites plus a variety of garbage that is not relevant to the matter. Well, this is not to mention the fact that on the dark web, search engines have little chance of tracking user behavior through analogues of Google Analytics and AdWords in order to improve the quality of results.

The solution to the problem on the regular Internet was found even before the advent of modern search engines and looks like a catalog of useful links. In a sense, this article is just such a directory, we just selected the most interesting resources alive at the moment, and also, of course, we do not make money by posting links.

The situation with popular directories on the dark web is different: on the well-known Hidden Wiki, a significant part of the links do not open at all, and the prioritization and selection principle raises serious questions for the resource owners. There is also Onion URL Repository, OnionDir, Yet another Tor Directory, TorLinks, HD Wiki, the Russian “Godnotaba” (by the way, it’s really quite good, albeit small) and hundreds of other collections - large and small, curated and not very curated, posted both in the dark web, as well as on the regular, light Internet.

Mail

A completely anonymized mailbox is a useful thing, and, of course, such services exist. But you understand that the demand here is very specific: not only hackers, spies, political dissidents and informants want to send letters and leave no traces, but also spammers, extortionists, bots and other lovers of automation of all stripes. This imposes a lot of restrictions.

The most popular mailer that works through Tor is called Sigaint. Its logo is an eye with menacing bloody drops underneath it. “Blood from the eyes” is a very accurate metaphor in this case. The interface is straight out of the nineties, an eye-catching palette, advertising stuffed here and there, an evil captcha (you need to enter it both when logging in and when sending a letter), a limit on the mailbox size - 50 MB, problems with Russian encoding when sending letters... In short, user experience is about the level of medieval torture.

Alternatives to Sigaint seem to exist, but they are either paid (for example, Lenatos costs 0.016 BTC for six months, AnonInbox - 0.1 BTC per year), or send letters only to other addresses in Tor. The second group includes, for example, TorBox and Mail2Tor. In order for a message sent from one of them to be delivered to regular mail on the clearnet, you will have to use a relay, and this is a separate headache.

There is a whole class of servers based on open source OnionMail. If you master the setup, you can connect to one of them through a regular mailer (via POP3 and SMTP). For example, Thunderbird with the TorBirdy plugin is suitable. Find the current list of servers in the Servers section on the OnionMail website. If you use Linux (preferably Tails), then the onion.py script will help ease the setup.

Hosting

The early Internet was different in that those who wanted to open their own website had a lot of opportunities to do it for pennies or for free - in exchange for a banner or at least a link to the hoster. The situation in Onion is different: free hosting has not caught on, and paid ones do not look very attractive.

The reason for this is simple: mainly drug dealers and other bandits are willing to pay for hosting, which can only be accessed via Tor. If you are not planning to join them, you can easily set up a server at home, or find a hosting provider who will not be outraged if you run Tor on their server. Even for criminal activity, they often resort to the services of so-called bulletproof hosters, which also work with clearnet.

But since we’re talking about hosting on the darknet, let’s give a couple of examples. Hidden Host promises 20 GB of space and unlimited traffic for 0.1 BTC per year; costs 0.25 BTC per year and gives only 256 MB of space and 1 TB of traffic; Kowloon Hosting Services has flexible pricing - from 0.04 BTC per month for 256 MB to 0.8 BTC for six months and 2 GB.

By the way, Kowloon (pronounced “Kowloon” or “Kowloon”. This, by the way, is a terribly overpopulated part of Hong Kong) has a free trial plan. If you write a letter with the subject TRIAL domain_name to a special mail, then in response you will receive the data necessary for access. That is why, apparently, during our impromptu indexing of the dark web, we found about six hundred links to empty default pages hosted by Kowloon.

Sharing

If free hosting in Onion is tight, then there are plenty of places where you can temporarily host a file, picture or piece of text. For files smaller than 500 KB there is PopFiles, you can upload the picture to a site with the simple name Image Hosting, text - to CrypTor, ZeroBin or Pasta.

Any of them allows you to set a timer by which information will be erased. Stronghold Paste has a section with archives - you can ask what kind of nonsense they post there. To prevent your data from being included in this list, do not forget to check the Private box. Please note that Pasta has a text size limit of as much as 10 MB. If you wish, you can easily post a file encoded in Base64 here.

Torrents

What usually hides in the dark corners of the Internet besides drugs and naked pussies? Of course, warez! Nowadays, however, there is no special fun here: there is a mirror The Pirate Bay, and it generally covers most of the pirate needs. RuTracker does not have a separate service in Onion (Tor already allows you to access RuTracker.org bypassing the blocking), but Rutor does have one. You can also look at “Buried” - this site is an order of magnitude smaller (1.6 million hands versus 25 million for Rutor), but an extra chance to find something rare won’t hurt.

Books

For book lovers, the dark web also has everything you need - first of all, it’s “Flibusta” and an excellent search engine for the “Traum library” called “Verbal Hero”. You can look for English and German books in a place with the pretentious name Imperial Library of Trantor, but new arrivals are a bit slow there. There is also Caliber, although the database of 1600 books is somehow not very serious. You can delve into the ruins of computer and educational literature in English at this link. And of course, the mirror of the pirated scientific work aggregator Sci-Hub (we already talked about it once) is seriously vying for a place in bookmarks.

Communication

Going to hiddenservices just to chat is definitely an acquired taste. There are enough resources on the regular Internet where you can register anonymously (or not register at all) and chat about whatever your heart desires. On “onion” sites they talk mainly about business. You probably already understand which ones.

There are not many places for free communication, but they exist. Until recently, the Onion had a mirror 2ch.hk - we provide a link in case it still comes to life. There are other imageboards: the foreign 8chan, famous in narrow circles, the Russian-language Neboard and Haibane.

Galaxy2 can be considered the main social network of Onion - if you dig around, you can find interesting thematic groups in it or meet interesting people. Those who prefer to communicate in Russian will be interested in the onelon resource. This is a rather unusual blogging platform with a small but vibrant community. Please note that to register you will need to create a PGP key for yourself (this, by the way, is a common phenomenon on the dark web).

The Hidden Answers website may also be helpful. This is something like Yahoo Answers or “[email protected]”, but with a focus on the darknet and related things. The main topics are the reliability of trading platforms, setting up Tor and, of course, searching for thematic resources. The latter makes Hidden Answers an interesting place to start surfing.

At least for show, it’s worth mentioning that Onion has a Facebook mirror. For those living in Russia, it makes little sense, but, for example, Facebook is blocked in China, so accessing it through Tor is just fine.

Generally speaking, much of the correspondence on the dark side of the Internet occurs not on websites, but on Jabber and IRC. Selecting suitable clients, setting up an anonymous connection and searching for servers and groups is a topic for a separate article, so here we will limit ourselves to just a couple of links. TorXMPP, Cyruserv, securejabber.me - Jabber servers located in Onion; CgAn IRC and Volatile are IRC clients that can work directly in the Tor Browser; ChatTor is a primitive but convenient web chat with the ability to create your own rooms.

Well, if you suddenly become completely bored and have no one to talk to about the weather and the latest research on the darknet, then take a look at Chat with strangers - this is the local analogue of Chatroulette.

The shops

Stores and trading platforms seem to be the main use of Tor hidden services so far. Therefore, let’s look at them in a little more detail and (purely for research purposes) go through the main markets. In general, when you look through the lists of links, all these “acropolises”, “Alexandrias”, “oases”, “ghettos”, “shops”, “shops”, “shops”, “pharmacies” and other nooks and crannies make your head spin. The competition is enormous, and every shabby drug dealer is trying to get his way, playing out and figuring out how to stand out. What do you think of the name of the store “Shimmering Circus of Vengeance”? We liked it too - purely from a literary point of view.

AlphaBay

AlphaBay is one of the largest markets that divided the hidden market after the closure of the famous Silk Road. “Officially” it is believed that the site was “founded by a carder under the nickname alpha02, a well-known member of most carding forums and a well-known figure among advanced carders.” European researchers claim, however, that the market operates under the protection of the “Russian mafia,” since the servers are located in Russia and are administered from Russian IP addresses. (It would be nice, by the way, to come up with a catchier name for the “Russian mafia” like “Yakuza”!)

The mafia may be Russian, but the site is entirely English. Registration is free, but very complicated - with a couple of dozen fields. Trading, as in the vast majority of markets, is carried out in bitcoins. There is an escrow service. As buyers note, the site is promptly moderated, removing spam and scam. However, judging by some sections filled with advertising and offers of intimate services, this is still not enough.

AlphaBay's biggest advantage is, of course, its range. The market contains 147 thousand offers in the Drugs & Chemicals section (offering, as expected, drugs and illegal drugs), 27 thousand in the Fraud section (database dumps and personal data are sold here) and 13 thousand in the Digital Products section (access to accounts, gaming keys and various software). The remaining sections also contain several thousand items: weapons, jewelry, carding, malware, hosting and other services. The Guides & Tutorials section is unexpectedly interesting, in which a wide variety of information is offered for sale: from harmless website directories or guides on “hacking Wi-Fi” to ready-made botnets, including lists of already existing bots, instructions for use and management software.

Dream Market

A market similar in functionality, quality and content to AlphaBay. Specializes in drugs and digital products. There are an order of magnitude fewer positions, but overall the range of products is the same. The market is unremarkable, except perhaps for an intriguing question: why does anyone use it if there are better markets?

We decided to show you this site for one reason: other English-language stores have an even more meager selection. In other words, if AlphaBay is “the best of the best,” then Dream Market is “the worst of the best,” a kind of “first step” in the quality of a typical hidden market.

Hydra

Hail Hydra! Oh, wait, that's not what we're talking about. Hydra calls itself an “anonymous marketplace,” but it’s essentially a social network for drug dealers. Specializes exclusively in drugs (amphetamine and its salts, cocaine and derivatives, exchange of bookmarks). At the same time, the owners are not shy about advertising even on the open Internet: the hydra.ooo website is on the first pages of Google, which is strange. Children's typos and frivolous emoticons also do not add trust.

The site is Russian-language, and judging by the comments in the code and the applications used, it was originally Russian. Registration is minimalistic (login and password) without any confirmation. There is a chat. Spam is not cleared: admins do not consider those who paid money for posting to be spammers, as reported on the first page. In addition to sections on selling, hiring and discussing sellers in different regions and countries, it has three interesting sections: “FAQULTET” (the topics of which reveal the details and secrets of the shadow drug business), “HYPERLAB” (recipes and methods for synthesizing drugs) and “WORK” ( scorching the hidden relationship of some seemingly legal professions with the world of drug trafficking).

T*chka

Another drug market, but unlike the others - with an ideology. “Tochka” (as the name suggests, the creator is Russian) was created a year and a half ago and positioned itself as the first drug market that controls the fairness and safety of the transaction: before “Tochka” in the English-language Onion the concept of “dead drop” (drop-off) was not widely used. The site administrator admitted that he is trying to put “honesty, security and tolerance in every way” into the market: this can be seen already during registration, in the warning about the ban on the distribution of low-quality and untested drugs, weapons, poisons, porn, extremist materials and discrimination based on race, politics or religion.

The interface can be selected in Russian, but the description of all offers is in English. As you can see in the screenshot, there are three orders of magnitude fewer offers than on AlphaBay, but the emphasis is on the “purity” and “quality” of the product. The product, by the way, is not always drugs - rare and expensive medicines, which in a number of countries cannot be obtained legally, documents and programs for falsification, and some hacker services are also sold on the market.

Forums

RAMP

Another Russian-language semi-forum-semi-market for drug dealers. There is no communication, discussion of hacking, security, cryptography, leaks, malware, carding, and so on is prohibited already during registration, during which you are required to pore over this list of prohibitions for two minutes. All activity on the site comes down to drug trafficking.

The Hub

A sad English-language forum about everything that is not allowed on the white fluffy Internet. The vast majority of comments are in the For Beginners, Darknet In General and Off Topic sections, which seems to hint at the quality of the audience and discussions. Doesn't work without JavaScript. The Vendors section contains dull attempts at self-promotion of a huge number of drug dealers and strained, monotonous reviews of various drug markets. God, how tiring this is.

Closed hacker forums and sites

Hacker threads can be found here and there, but specialized forums are mostly unfriendly, and even free registration is rare. For example, entry to Hell, one of the most famous forums, costs 0.1 BTC (about $60).

GroundZero, SiphON and BlackHat look open at first glance, but are suspiciously empty. There is no doubt that all the most interesting things are hidden in sections that are not visible to the average visitor.

When registering on most of these forums, they ask you to enter an invitation code, and even if you own it, it is not a fact that all threads will be immediately open to you. There are quite a few public sections on the 0day forum, but you can rest assured that the main movement here, too, happens in sections that you can’t get to from the street.

Very little remains in the public domain. The most popular topic is carding: bays, CVV, cashing out for various payment systems, ways to bypass antifraud, discussions about where to get dumps. In general, combat crobbers from Carder Planet will be a little bored here, but if you are simply interested in the topic, you will definitely learn something new: read the FAQ and click on the links for beginners that the community generously shares.

As for the other sections in the public, it’s a real disappointment: the chance of finding 0day is generally lower than on clearnet. But you can look at the Accounts and Database Dumps section, sometimes you see familiar words like VK or Rambler.

Of course, hacker groups also have personal sites on the dark web. As an example, you can look at CyberGuerrilla, The Hack Lair, Hacker4Hire and Hackmasters, but, to be honest, there is nothing special to catch there. The only thing that stands out is the Anonymous International exchange, where you can take part in auctions where the contents of the accounts of Russian officials are raffled off.

Weapons, espionage, special operations

Runion

Russian Onion Union is the most popular and educational Russian-language dark web forum, specializing in defense and self-defense. In the “Weapons” section you can find basic concepts and FAQs on weapons, instructions and books on making homemade protective equipment, calculations of the power of explosives, discussions of military equipment, weapons and ammunition, lessons on self-defense and sabotage, as well as warnings from knowledgeable people about weapons web -forums that sell information about their visitors.

The “Security precautions” section discusses methods of wiretapping, surveillance, detection and protection against them, typical mistakes of beginner anonymous users and high-profile mistakes of famous terrorists. There are FAQs, rules and advice on safe behavior in different countries of the world, as well as ways to circumvent official prohibitions, hide potential evidence and “cover your tracks”. An instruction called “ Sanitation Day”, listing ways to maintain personal information cleanliness, will be useful to any visitor, even if he came to the forum with the most innocent intentions.

The “Information Protection” section will tell you about methods of encrypting and hiding traffic, secure services and utilities, as well as ways to increase the bulletproofness of some popular programs, devices and web servers. A topic called “Tails: FAQ”, explaining what The Amnesic Incognito Live System is, will be an excellent start for an anonymous person taking his first steps.

Raegdan's Fukken Saved

A Russian-language archive containing full and partial dumps of some clearnet sites that were “cleaned” at one time. There is a lot of interesting stuff here for gun lovers.

1. Dump of the steelrats.org weapons forum, storing content as of the end of 2012. The forum contains a certain amount of materials on the handicraft design of weapons, special equipment and reconnaissance equipment. You can compare it with Runion and appreciate how pathetic Anonymous looked at that time.
2. Drawings, photo sets and video instructions for 3D printing homemade weapons, saved from the defunct website of the American James Patrick. The weapon, however, is only suitable for self-defense, because it is plastic.
3. The young rebel's guide to forming his own armed gang: "The ABCs of Domestic Terrorism", "Guerrilla Warfare" and "The Urban Guerrilla's Manual". Of course, after reading these books you won’t turn out to be any kind of “urban guerrilla” (partisans don’t really read books in general), but this can help you better understand the psychology of bandits and avoid contact with them if mass unrest occurs.

Cryptostorm

Tor version of the forum of the VPN provider of the same name, Cryptostorm, located in Iceland. Quite an informative English-language resource containing discussions on protecting and encrypting information about personal life and movements. Basically, of course, it contains sections devoted to the work of VPN Cryptostorm and the development of their utility for “absolute protection” Cryptostorm Widget. The Stormphone section contains small but valuable information and discussions on the topic of data protection on mobile devices.

Black Market

A store that positions itself as “Number One on the Tor Network” and behaves almost like it’s legal. The owners claim that they provide a worldwide quality guarantee, the weapon is tested and can be replaced if it fails (within one week), shipping is already included in the prices, and ten free rounds are included with delivery. In a word, an epic and very beautiful scam, the impression of which is not spoiled even by the golden Desert Eagle listed in the list of goods. Indeed, suddenly someone wants to anonymously and secretly buy a pistol in order to show it off to their friends. Why not.

Black Market Guns

In contrast to the previous one, this is a real gun store located in the USA and legally selling US-approved weapons, parts, spare parts and ammunition. Contains 26 positions, among which there is even a pair of night vision devices. The owners silently bypass all issues of legalizing the purchase on the buyer’s side, offering only delivery via FedEx. Shot item and assembly instructions included. The official email on tutanota.com also makes us believe in the seriousness of the proposal. But, of course, we didn’t check.

No Background Check Gun Store

A store of unknown origin (we suspect the owners are from the USA, but there is no confirmation anywhere), positioning itself as “the largest catalog of weapons on the Deep Web.” The number of items is truly impressive: owners offer a choice of 570 pistols, 230 rifles and 30 pump-action shotguns. The choice is so great that there is a catalog search. Only three facts confuse us: the large number of positions in the sections, mail on gmail.com and the most famous manufacturers in each category. Too beautiful to be true.

Euro Guns and UK Guns

Two stores of the same owner, operating respectively from Europe (presumably the Netherlands) and the UK. The owner carefully offers customers registration (why?), a referral program with a 1% deduction (oh, that's why), several ways to buy bitcoins for cash and free shipping. The assortment is small and absolutely identical, which suggests the presence of a common owner (and most likely, one person who is neither in the UK nor in Europe). If you successfully purchase something here (which is very unlikely), don’t forget to give us 1% for the tip!

MaskRabbit

A fun site that bills itself as “an anonymous agency for real world transactions.” Specializes in delivery, theft, espionage, sabotage, banditry and hacking. At the same time, it immediately amuses us with the fact that it declares to work “only with professional agents,” while simultaneously offering to send an application to join the ranks of these same “agents.” Rest, 47th, a worthy replacement has been found for you - you see, a letter has arrived from Vasya from Voronezh!

C'thulhu

An even more fun site, the name of which already speaks of the high professional level of its creators. The intentions of the “organized crime group C’thulhu” are so serious that they have to explain why you should hire them and specifically through Tor. To the reasonable question “Where are the proofs, Billy? We need proofs!” the developers answer convincingly: we delete all proofs after completing the order (for your own safety), and our customers have absolutely no time to sit on forums and respond to any letters. Nuff said.

However, the degree of fun is somewhat reduced by the presence of a public PGP key, email on bitmessage.ch and a detailed price list. Perhaps behind the deliberately ridiculous, eye-catching façade there is still a serious business hidden.

Besa Mafia

The site of an active Albanian mafia group is not at all funny. Open only after making sure there are no children nearby.

Besa Mafia operates in the United States, Canada, Europe and many other countries, offering such brutal services as debt collection (with self-harm), murder for intimidation (however, covert elimination too), setting cars and houses on fire, as well as selling unregistered weapons. In sections of the site you can find instructions on maintaining anonymity when ordering, a step-by-step description of the secure order payment process, a price list, FAQ and even a disclaimer stating that Besa Mafia services are provided solely for the purpose of protecting the client from the threat looming over him. To place an order, you need to indicate the contact of a person who is already a member of the group, otherwise you yourself may become the next target. The creators of the site also state that they are not performers: they are intermediaries and receive 20% of the amount for this. The performer receives 80%.

Well, did you believe it? Convincing enough? And now the truth: this site is a police scam. Besa Mafia administrators leak correspondence with “customers” and contacts of “performers” to law enforcement agencies in different countries. If you are paranoid, you might have suspected this even while viewing the “Video” section: the videos posted there are simple clips from American news, which are pulled from YouTube and do not work without JavaScript. However, after the Silk Road leak, most sites on Tor are similar scams.

Other useful things

Dead Drop- a service for transmitting encrypted messages. To register, you need a PGP key, which will also help you leave the message without an addressee. Those who wish to read it will be able to enter your public key, and the service will display the text.

Deep Web Radio. Considering that there are no particular problems with music on the “pure web”, the existence of an underground radio station is not easy to justify. But nevertheless it exists. You can listen to one of the five “broadcasts” and be pleased that you are doing it through Tor.

Bitcoin Block Explorer, a mirror of Blockchain.info - a site that helps track Bitcoin transactions.

Keybase- Keybase.io mirror. It allows you to associate your PGP public keys with a user profile. It doesn't hurt to register, but remember that Keybase is notorious for having a long virtual queue that you have to wait in before you can send an invitation.

Cryptome- a mirror of the legendary website about privacy and cryptography Cryptome.org. The last time it was synchronized was in 2013, but while the main site has not gone away, the point of using a hidden service instead is questionable.

Total

Of course, it is impossible to take and survey the entire dark web. First of all, because two thousand links are still two thousand links and it’s not easy to go through them all (and it’s not necessary). You probably got the general idea, and, we hope, the questions “what to see?” and “where to start?” we answered.

The second, even more important point is that the “dark” in the word “darknet” still implies that the sites are hidden from outsiders and it is impossible to get to them at a swoop. No amount of indexing will save you, and here you need an individual approach.

In general, the open part of the dark web is so reminiscent of the Internet of the nineties, with its characteristic anti-design and general carelessness, that nostalgia just hits. The main differences: there are much fewer sites in Onion and they are much more criminal. But here you can, as if in the good old days, surf the net and feel the wind of freedom blowing from all sides!

Post your links in the comments!

Surprised we missed some cool sites? Do you know interesting details that are not in this article? Leave your opinion using the form below, and the editors will take it into account in future materials.

Netstalking (from internet stalking) is an activity aimed at searching for hidden information in the depths of the Internet. A netstalker, like a miner in a mine or a homeless person in a landfill (depending on the skills and technologies used), is trying to find a grain of gold among a pile of information noise.

How did it all start?

At the end of the 20th century, when computerization and internetization had not yet affected all spheres of our lives, a personal computer was not a thin laptop with an apple and beautiful buttons, but a kind of shaitan machine that 90% of current computer owners could not use.

During the most basic operations with a computer, numerous errors arose, but their solution then could not be found simply by typing a couple of lines into Google. Solving one problem after another, individuals became so carried away by digging that instead of developing in breadth, they began to dig in depth.

Studying the principles of computers and the Internet, they created a certain area inaccessible to ordinary users - the Deep Web (Deep Network, hidden Internet). Subsequently, a suitable application was found for this segment of the network.

DarkNet

The darknet is usually understood as the lower levels of the deep web. This layer is distinguished by a high entry threshold, and the resulting high anonymity. Alternative opinion: the darknet is a network between trusted users.

How to get to the Deep Web?

Netstalkers don't ask such questions. Instead, they look for clues on their own and dive deeper.

However, we know how to satisfy your idle interest. All the necessary initial information will be presented in the article, but you will need to find the links yourself.

1. Download and configure Tor Browser. You can also access the deep web from your phone; there is a version of Tor Browser for Android.
2. In it, follow the link to the special “Hidden Wiki” directory with entry-level sites. As you dive deeper, you will find other catalogs, and then another and another... It seems that this process is almost endless.

Video instruction for diving

Is it worth it?

The use of similar technologies in theory, can lead to being targeted by the intelligence services. If this doesn't bother you, then a final word of caution: use for research purposes only. In addition, you may regret what you see. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND!

Map

Researchers have classified the deep web into levels, which can serve as a map for the novice netstalker.

• Level D - basic(open and indexed by search engines) Internet: social networks and in general any sites found through search engines (including the one you are currently on). At this level there are strange links to the lower level and hints for the transition.
• Level C - Deep Web: systems of anonymous networks and proxy servers (Tor, I2P), closed communities. Illegal content on an unimaginable scale. Hacker communities. Information about various anomalous objects and phenomena. Some search results using words from the subconscious. Allegedly secret government radio stations.
• Level B - Dark Web: something used to control the upper level of D. Absolutely immoral content. Non-existent IP addresses and protocols, blank pages (it’s not clear what we’re talking about). Research forums. Youtube level B. A huge amount of useful and useless information (it is believed that level D belongs to only 4% of all information in one way or another accessible via the Internet). Something called "Void" (emptiness, abyss).
• Level A is the lower limit of the Internet: Holes, Schumann Resonance, Level C control, the terrifying truth about mirrors, Internet dead zone, access to the Quiet House.

The essence of what is happening at A level is not clear to us even speculatively. We will be glad to receive any opinion from people knowledgeable about this issue.

Quiet house

The ultimate goal of an advanced netstalker is a Quiet House. The lower limit of the deep web.

Researchers point out the impossibility of returning from the “Quiet House” to the real world. This area is not a site, and it is not at all clear which area of ​​existence this place belongs to.

According to the image on the left, you can get to the Quiet House not only through the Internet. Netstalkers have discovered the possibility of transitioning to the Quiet House through sleep and something called “Life” (perhaps simply meaning the waking state).

We assume that the terrifying truth about mirrors has something to do with this. In the proposed scheme, at each level, there is the word “MIRROR” (mirror).

Project City

A certain society of people calling themselves “Doctors”. They declared their goal to “cure all people.” The first mention on the public Internet is on an anonymous entertainment forum. Known for extremely unpleasant messages and pictures.

It was not possible to confirm the reality of the existence of this secret project.

Every day, millions of people use the benefits of the Internet. And it seems that it contains all the information available to the average user. But there is a concept of the black Internet, and few people know how to get into it. And only a few use it constantly.

What it is

The Black Internet is a hidden part of the World Wide Web. It is also called the deep Internet. But this comparison is wrong. The deep web is more secretive than the dark web, we can say that it is a lower level of hidden network that is more difficult to get into. The Darknet is simply a part of the web that is hidden from search engines. But it's easy enough to get into.

Sites on the other side operate on several principles. Some of them are not reflected in the results of a simple search engine and you can get to them by receiving a direct link. Users can access other resources only if they know the access password. Links to sites of the shadow Internet are found in a special Wikipedia.

You can get to the dark side of the web using a special Tor browser. Its network does not operate inside the simple Internet, but on top of it. All network information is encrypted and transmitted simultaneously through several servers. This makes it impossible to track the location and identity of the person who uses this network.

What is it for?

Users of the Forbidden Internet use freedom and anonymity for different purposes. But basically this part of the network makes it possible to get to blocked sites. Also on the black internet they find information hidden from the average user. News not mentioned on TV. The black market and related products are common on this network.

Peculiarities

Unlike the regular Internet, the dark Internet does not work as smoothly. Many links are unavailable. The speed is slightly lower due to permanent encryption. The pages of the darknet do not have the usual advertising and colorful designs. If the page has a more or less organized design, then it will be considered cool for the darknet. So all the conveniences of the usual Internet are completely absent in the dark. A dark screen and text - this is what the site pages on this network look like.

And also absolute anonymity may not be so absolute. The fact is that when you download a special browser to get to the other side of the network, you can stumble upon a virus. And as a result, a curious user will reveal himself instead of hiding his identity.

The hidden Internet is called hidden because it is inaccessible to the eyes of the average person, as well as search engine robots. They cannot index deep web sites. But the Tor browser has its own search engines that will help you find something with the required domain address.

Another feature of the dark internet is that all transactions are paid for in bitcoins. No other currency is currently used on that side.

What you can find useful

For the average user, there is no useful content on the dark web. Except forbidden books and other documents. There is an online library, once popular in the Russian Federation. There are gaming and entertainment portals. The Dark Web even has its own literary magazine.

The Dark Internet is mainly used by criminals, hackers and a small number of ordinary users. That side of the network attracts with its anonymity, and complete secrecy is sought by those who have something to hide. On the Black Internet they buy drugs, post them and look for things for which on the regular Internet they can be blocked and even imprisoned.

Instructions on how to get there

You can access the dark web from both your PC and your phone. The principles of operation and anonymity are no different when using different technologies.

From computer

How to log into the Deep Web via Tor can be found in the instructions:

Also, in order not to search for a specific site, they use a special library with addresses of sites on that side. To do this, you need to paste thehiddenwiki.org into the address bar of your browser. A page will open with links to the most popular pages on the dark web.

From phone

In order to get the opportunity to access the dark Internet using an Android phone or iPhone, you also need to download the TOP browser. Then, to find out how to get to the black Internet from your phone:

• You need to download Orbot and Fireonion from the Market;

• Launch the first application and activate VPN mode. You must select the browser through which traffic will be transmitted;
• Go to the second application and surf the shadow internet.

What is the essence of the hidden Internet?

Laws subordinate absolutely everything in human life. And some people want to be absolutely free from the oppression of government restrictions. The essence of a hidden network is to provide anonymity, which advanced users question greatly.

On the dark web, hackers and other dubious individuals conduct transactions and search for information. And ordinary users come in out of curiosity.

What to watch out for

There's a lot to be careful about on the dark web. Of course, no one will be jailed for simply entering. There is also no criminal liability for viewing prohibited content.

It turns out that in order to avoid going to jail, you are only allowed to watch. But there’s no need to do anything, find out, much less download it. There are a lot of scammers on the other side, and one careless move will allow them to get all the user’s data. At best, this is the only thing to be wary of.

Is the dark internet necessary for the average user?

An ordinary user can go to the dark web out of curiosity. But the average person will not be able to find useful content there. And if he finds it and uses it, it is punishable by law. In most cases, a simple user can find the necessary information using familiar methods.

Judicial practice in black Internet cases

There are many examples of darknet users being given both suspended sentences and jail time. For example, recently, in July last year, a Russian was sentenced to 4 suspended years for buying drugs in this network. The man corresponded with a dealer of illegal substances on the darknet, and he sent a parcel with the goods after payment. But at customs it was detained and opened. As a result, the parcel arrived accompanied by law enforcement officers.

Zealous workers who found part-time work on the dark web were also imprisoned. A Russian citizen received almost 6 years of maximum security for working as a drug pawnbroker. The man found a vacancy on the darknet. There are enough vacancies there, but there is no word about honest earnings.

There are quite a lot of examples of such practice. And in most cases, illegal activities on the hidden network are tracked. Of course, small cases may not be tracked, but still practice shows that the darknet is not as anonymous as it seems.

Programs similar to Tor browser

There are other programs that provide access to the network over the network. But the most popular is the Tor browser. This popularity is justified by the fact that almost only this browser works like a regular one.

To get to the other side there is a program called FreeNet, a simple data storage. But it is possible not only to exchange data, but also to communicate. Inside the program there are chats and emails isolated from the entire Internet. Websites are also present, but they do not have such a concept on the URL address.

And also YaCy – a search engine for dark sites. I2P is currently undergoing rapid development. This network is for pure paranoids because it has the highest level of anonymity protection.

But this advantage comes with a significant drawback. If in Tor pages load quickly, then in I2P the speed is 10 times lower. Stronger data encryption overloads the computer and its processor. This has a bad effect on the quality of the equipment.

Conclusion

The dark side of the Internet is not so necessary for the average user. Everything you need can be found on a simple web.