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Dark web fraud: How-to guides make cybercrime too easy

Introduction to dark web fraud

Dark web fraud constitutes a global information security problem. The widespread availability of how-to guides providing instructions on how to commit such fraud exacerbates the problem even further.

Before examining these how-to guides in detail, we need to explain the meaning of “dark web.” The web includes two main layers: the surface web, which consists of any content indexed by search engines, and the deep web, which comprises all content that is not indexed by search engines. Content in the deep web can be hidden behind paywalls, firewalls and other types of protection.

The dark web constitutes a small portion of the deep web and appeared as a result of the development by the United States of software known as Tor. It allowed internet users to encrypt their location and information they sent and received. This, in turn, ensured their anonymity and privacy. The dark web is often used by criminals for various malicious purposes, such as sales of guns, drugs and other illegal materials. It is estimated that the content available on the dark web constitutes less than 0.005% of the content available on the surface web.

Large volumes of content exchanged through the dark web include how-to guides. According to a Terbium Labs study that covers three major dark web exchanges, 49% of the data sold through those exchanges consists of how-to guides. 

In this article, we will examine the types of how-to guides sold through the dark web. Afterwards, we will discuss their reliability. Finally, we will provide concluding remarks.

Typology of how-to guides

How-to guides can, depending on their purpose, be divided into five categories: account takeover, phishing, doxing, cashing out and synthetic identity fraud. 

1. Account takeover

The term “account takeover” refers to a situation (Read more...)

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Infosec Resources authored by Daniel Dimov. Read the original post at: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/infosecResources/~3/826wRBrjwQ8/