INTHEBLACK October 2021 - Magazine - Page 47
AT A G L A N C E
The dark web is the online
equivalent of the black
market. Websites listed on
the dark web cannot be
accessed by standard
search engines.
The dark web takes up about
5 per cent of the entire
internet ecosphere, but its
annual value is estimated at
between US$1-2 trillion
(A$1.3-2.7 trillion).
Businesses that have
undergone rapid digital
transformation due to the
pandemic need to prioritise
the task of assessing and
addressing their cyber
vulnerabilities.
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Rogue Money and
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I
n January 2021, a police sting on the German-Danish border resulted
in the arrest of a 34-year-old Australian who is alleged to have operated
one of the world’s largest illegal online marketplaces. DarkMarket, as it
was known, existed on the dark web and had half a million users
and 2400 vendors, who sold everything from drugs to counterfeit passports
and stolen credit card data. The website had an estimated value of
A$220 million, mainly in Bitcoin and Monero cryptocurrencies.
While the takedown of DarkMarket was significant, the reality is that
“Julian K”, as its alleged operator was identified by police, is one of the
very few dark web “powerhouses” to have been caught.
Cybercriminals operate on the dark web with near impunity, says Tom
Kellermann, who heads cybersecurity strategy for VMware in the US.
Kellermann also sits on a newly created cyber investigations advisory board
with the United States Secret Service, which is helping the agency to
modernise its efforts in dealing with financial crime.
“Despite the fact that cybercrime is the number one priority of law
enforcement officials globally, only 2 per cent of online bank heists result
in a successful prosecution, and the average theft is valued at US$6 million
[A$8 million],” Kellermann says.
“If you rob a bank at gunpoint in the US, there is a 97 per cent likelihood
that you’ll be arrested and, on average, you’ll steal about US$10,000
[A$13,600],” he says, quoting figures provided by the Secret Service.
WHAT IS THE DARK WEB?
The dark web is the online equivalent of the black market. Most people will
never see or interact with it because it is intentionally hidden and access to
it requires a specialised browser.
The most common browser is called TOR, which is also known as “The
Onion Router”. In Australia and New Zealand, it is not illegal to access the
TOR network – but accessing its forums can be.
“It is no different to if you were trying to buy or sell something illegally in
real life. The same laws apply to you,” says Josh Lemon, a certified instructor
at the cybersecurity and training facility, the SANS Institute.
On the dark web, cybercriminals can create websites that cannot be
indexed (that is to say, searched) by standard search engines such as
Google. Other anonymising technologies, such as virtual private networks
(VPNs), are also used to hide information about users, such as their
geographic location.
intheblack.com October 2021 47