Combating Crime on the Dark Web: Learn how to access the dark web safely and not fall victim to cybercrime

by Nearchos Nearchou

Know your enemy and counter the dark web criminality with this easy-to-follow guide, including a detailed tour of the dark web ecosystem and the tools and tactics used to mitigate cyber threats In today's world, the crime-prevention landscape is impossible to navigate. The dark web means new frontiers of combat against bad actors that pop up daily. Everyone from narcotics dealers to human traffickers are exploiting the dark web to evade authorities. If you want to find your feet in this tricky terrain and fight crime on the dark web, take this comprehensive, easy-to-follow cyber security guide with you. Combating Crime on the Dark Web contains everything you need to be aware of when tackling the world of the dark web. Step by step, you'll gain acumen in the tactics that cybercriminals are adopting and be equipped with the arsenal of strategies that are available to you as a cybersecurity specialist. This cyber security book ensures that you are well acquainted with all the latest techniques to combat dark web criminality. After a primer on cybercrime and the history of the dark web, you'll dive right into the main domains of the dark web ecosystem, reaching a working understanding of how drug markets, child pornography, and human trafficking operate. Once well-versed with the functioning of criminal groups, you'll be briefed on the most effective tools and methods being employed by law enforcement, tech companies, and others to combat such crimes, developing both a toolkit and a mindset that can help you stay safe from such criminal activities and can be applied in any sector or domain. By the end of this book, you'll be well prepared to begin your pushback against the criminal elements of the dark web. This book is for aspiring cybercrime investigators, cybersecurity enthusiasts, and anyone else who is interested in learning about this dark side of the internet. The book mainly focuses on preventing crimes on the dark web and is written in a simple way so that you can understand it with ease.

138 pages, Paperback

Published February 3, 2023

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent introduction to the dark web and crimes occuring there, but inadequately addresses the topic of its subtitle, "Learn how to access the dark web safely and not fall victim to cybercrime." It includes very few details about tools or OPSEC to practice when accessing the dark web. Crime categories it covers are drug markets, CSAM (child sexual abuse material), human trafficking, and cyberterrorism.

It reads like a research paper rather than a book written by someone with firsthand experience navigating the dark web and investigating crimes there. After finishing the book, I noticed the author is a "Computer Science and MSc Cyber Security graduate" and "is pursuing a career in the cybersecurity world."

The author mentions the need for protecting privacy a few times, but the overall message of the book is that the need to stop cybercrime overrides privacy concerns. I admit this is a difficult issue, but to discard the privacy of billions of Internet users to give governments the ability to monitor crimes committed by a fraction of the global population isn't the right approach.

Notes
An Introduction to Cybercrime
Main difference between Tor and I2P is that I2P doesn't rely on a centralized DB of server nodes; it uses garlic routing rather than Tor's onion routing. Garlic routing works by encrypting multiple messages together in layered encryption, increasing data speed and obfuscating traffic. I2P, being decentralized, has better scalability than Tor, and no trusted central party.

An Introduction to the Dark Web
I2P hidden sites are called eepsites, have a .i2p domain extension, and typically require I2P to connect.

Freenet: decentralized, P2P network that can only be used to access data within Freenet.

Efforts for Combating Crime on the Dark Web
Because of the wide variety of languages used on the dark web, monitoring systems use algorithms (e.g., natural language processing [NLP]).

Traffic confirmation attack: observing both ends of a communication channel to find patterns to match incoming and outgoing traffic. Law enforcement can take control of both ends of a Tor circuit to compare traffic timing, volume, and other metadata to determine if 2 relays are in same circuit. If 1st relay knows user's IP address, and last relay knows user's destination, law enforcement can deanonymize user.

Discussion and Evaluation
Author proposes a centralized system for combating dark web crimes, including information sharing across all sectors and involving law enforcement, private sector, and private citizens.