The Dark Web is a part of the internet where various illegal activities take place , such as offering malware, selling stolen personal data, credit cards, weapons, drugs, etc.
Accessing the dark web is not as simple as a Google search . Not everyone can gain access. One of its key features is anonymity . This is why it is used for illegal activities .
Identifying criminals operating on the dark web is not an easy task, as their location, operations , and attacks take place in different countries.
A security researcher, Ziv Mador, vice president of Trustwave, said that law enforcement agencies are facing great difficulties in bringing criminals to justice.
They need to access the dark web to gather evidence and track down the perpetrators. In addition, they often need to cooperate with authorities in other countries. This is difficult because countries have different judicial and legal procedures.
Despite the difficulties, authorities' operations can be successful. For example, last year, Spanish authorities managed to arrest a Russian cybercriminal, Peter Severa, with the help of other countries.
"Security companies collect and analyze information, but they do not have the authority to arrest the perpetrators. We cooperate with law enforcement agencies, giving them information," the researcher said.
Cooperation between law enforcement agencies is crucial. Often criminals are located in one country, but their computers and servers are located elsewhere.
Mador leads a large team of researchers. His team has more than 150 ethical hackers and researchers who help businesses combat cyberattacks, protect data , and mitigate risk.
Additionally, they conduct research to determine global threats. One of them showed that stolen Singaporean credit cards found on the dark web are more expensive than those from other countries.
According to Mador, exposing criminals can be done through public forums on the dark web.
The first step is to gain access to the dark web. This can be done through special software, such as TOR, which hides the identity of users.
Next, researchers will need to become members of a forum. Usually, participation in these is by invitation. Registered members will need to allow new members to enter.
“Once new people join, they will have to create a profile, get to know the others and gain their trust,” the researcher said.
If they manage to gain the hackers ' trust , researchers will be able to navigate the dark Web to track down criminals and collect evidence.
Forum members must follow specific rules, which are very similar to those in effect on many sites:
– Forum members are not allowed to behave in a threatening manner towards other members
– Only posts that benefit members are allowed
– Attempts to infect the forum with malicious software are prohibited
– Members should respect the privacy of other members.
Failure to comply with the rules may lead to the member being removed from the forum.
