FreshTools, founded in 2019, specializes in selling stolen account credentials and data, particularly webmail, RDPs (Remote Desktop Protocols), and cPanels. Transactions are conducted through Bitcoin and Monero which provides anonymity for both buyers and sellers. The marketplace requires merchants to pay fees to sell their products, helping ensure a certain level of quality control. Here’s a look at the top 10 dark web markets currently dominating this underground space. Formerly, Darren served on the Committee of Technology Infrastructure under Mayor Richard Daley.
These sites provide a level of privacy and anonymity unavailable on the surface web, offering content and goods that cannot be easily found through traditional online platforms. Launched in 2020, Cypher Marketplace sells fraudulent documents, stolen credit cards, fake IDs, and malware. Its emphasis on user anonymity and document forgery makes it a core tool for identity fraud. The dark web also helps individuals communicate about or sell illegal items such as weapons, drugs, malware, etc. Many people see hacked information and stolen card data being sold on the dark web.
Hacking Groups And Services
He recommends verifying market employees carefully, and to weed out law enforcement infiltration through barium meal tests. Whether you venture into the deep dark web yourself or your information ends up there via a data breach, early identity threat detection is key to preventing lasting damage. Get the latest in privacy news, tips, tricks, and security guides to level-up your digital security. Activists, whistle blowers, and journalists also use the dark web to communicate securely with sources and news organizations.
- In 2025, only a few markets stand out for their security, reliability, and vendor quality.
- As dark web operations fragment into smaller, granular communities, cybercriminals are developing their own identities to market their activities and illicit tools.
- To use the dark web safely, use as many privacy-enhancing tools or programs as you can, and do not identify yourself in any way to anyone for any reason.
- You don’t need special tools or a special browser like you need to access the dark web (more about that later).
The 17 Best Dark Web Marketplaces In 2025
Opennet connections are easier to use, but darknet connections provide more security against attackers on the network. I2P can only be used to access hidden sites that are only available on the I2P network. But remember, it’s essential to take all the necessary and important security steps before entering such sites on the dark web. As mentioned before, your ISP and government institutions are not able to see what sites you visit on the Tor network, but they can probably see that you use Tor.
The service retains no copies of any data that passes through a ProtonMail account. Although ProtonMail also exists on the clear web, accessing it via Tor provides an extra layer of privacy if you don’t want to leave a trace of you even using ProtonMail. SecureDrop uses Tor to provide a safe way for whistleblowers to contact various news outlets. Prominent organizations like The Guardian, The New York Times, and ProPublica have implemented it. The software requires two-factor authentication to receive what’s been uploaded by the whistleblower and allows two-way communication between the anonymous contact and the media outlet.
However, you can find legitimate content and activities here, too. For example, you can find information unavailable to the public and share data privately while protecting your online identity. Note that most dark web transactions are carried out using Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.
Best Dark Web Websites
If you know the right websites, you can easily access a tremendous amount of information, including research articles, news stories, and more. Besides this, it supports wallet-less transactions and accepts payments through Bitcoin, Litecoin, Monero, and Zcash. However, you must wait some time to reassess this marketplace because it’s been shut down. It issued a press release revealing that, from December 2021, the website will no longer be functional.
Stay Safe On Dark Web Websites
It offers features like encrypted communication for chats and file sharing, making it popular with privacy-conscious individuals. The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) provides a .onion version of its website, enabling individuals to bypass restrictions to access its content from anywhere. This platform allows visitors to anonymously explore the World Factbook, submit information, apply for jobs, and perform any other actions available on the CIA’s main site. The BBC and other well-known news services are blocked in some parts of the world.
Email Services
It’s important to arm yourself with a good VPN (Virtual Private Network) when you want to enter the dark web to protect your privacy and anonymity. So, to get into the Tor network, follow the steps I’ve listed below. The dark web is a decentralized web, which means that the data is stored on many different servers around the world.
More On How To Stay Safe On The Dark Web
Over the next two years, the Silk Road set the standard for darknet marketplaces. By the time it was shut down in October 2013 and Ross Ulbricht arrested, the site had traded an estimated $183 million worth of goods and services. But anything that’s against the law on the regular web or offline is also illegal on the dark web.
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For example, you can only find your Facebook friends, photos, and other information by logging into your Facebook account and finding the information there. On the deep web, you can find such “private” information on web pages. So, that means that the number of pages increased by over 100 trillion in just over three years. Hypothetically speaking, Google may be aware of well over 200 trillion individual pages (these are obviously NOT all indexed in the search engine). So, even though it does exist on the internet, Google doesn’t index any of these pages or content. We are reader supported and sometimes earn a commission if you buy through a link on our site.
Onion Links Directory 2025
But people can still access independent media via BBC Tor Mirror and similar dark web news portals. The BBC Tor Mirror is an international version of the BBC that focuses on world affairs, and it’s extremely useful for those who live under strict censorship laws. A Canadian market established in 2021, WTN offers over 9,000 products, including narcotics, fake goods, and digital services. It operates in both French and English and has built a reputation for ease-of-use.
- The US Naval Research Laboratory developed The Onion Routing (Tor) project in the late 90s.
- Its key features include kernel hardening, application firewall, package security, filesystem encryption, meta-proxy encryption, and binary integrity.
- The website has a sleek design and interactive user interface, making it the most preferred choice in terms of user experience.
- The prices were very reasonable compare to market prices and support is very quick.
- The process costs a fee, but unlike other “tumbler” or “mixing” services, there is no risk that Wasabi or any of its users could scam you out of your coins.
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Set Up Tor Browser
Social networks, such as Facebook, have created dark web versions of their sites to address privacy problems related to their surface web versions. ExpressVPN had created a .onion version of its website to allow greater privacy and anonymity for Tor browser users. You don’t need special tools or a special browser like you need to access the dark web (more about that later). Anyone can access the deep web by using specialized search engines, dedicated web directories, and other sources that can help you find the data or information. In Grand Theft Auto Online, players who purchase warehouses and garages for illicit cargo and stolen cars can buy/steal and sell them through trade on the “SecuroServ” syndicate website.
