The sale of stolen data, including personal identification information (PII) and credit card details, plays a significant role in the illicit economy of the darknet. This stolen information is often used to commit various types of fraud, highlighting the interconnected nature of cybercrime on these platforms. Monero has emerged as a preferred cryptocurrency in many dark web marketplaces due to its robust privacy features.

Tweak Tor browser settings

DOJ cases confirm that criminals often purchase stolen card data from darknet shops such as Brian’s Club and then re-encode it onto physical cards for fraudulent transactions. This places the market squarely within verified financial-crime supply chains. Many marketplaces shut down suddenly due to exit scams, where administrators disappear with user funds. Others collapse after arrests, server seizures, or exposure caused by poor operational security. Payments are usually made with cryptocurrencies to avoid traditional banking systems. Despite these measures, dark web marketplaces are unstable and often shut down due to scams, internal problems, or law-enforcement action.

Cryptocurrency Transactions

Tools like Tor are used to bypass government-imposed firewalls and surveillance, ensuring open communication. The significance here is the preservation of civil liberties and the right to information. Businesses operating in such regions may need to adapt to the technical challenges and risks posed by using darknets for legitimate purposes. We deliver contextualized, actionable intelligence through our dedicated platform or API integration, ensuring that you can respond effectively to darknet threats. With over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and marketing, Ben has held leadership roles at companies like Check Point, Cognyte, Cylus, and Ionix.

Illicit and Risky Use-Cases

Darknet market vendors have suffered—as legitimate vendors have—through a strained postage and shipping network on account of COVID-19. However, according to Chainalysis, the driving force of this revenue is a combination of increased competition and efforts by law enforcement to crack down on the markets themselves. According to Chainalysis’ 2025 Crypto Crime Report, darknet market (DNM) vendors are adapting their money laundering tactics. While centralized exchanges (CEXs) remain the dominant cash-out method, a notable shift has been toward decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. The horizontal bars represent each market lifetime, i.e., the time when the market becomes active until its closure, and is colored according to the market’s monthly trading volume in USD. In the vertical axis, markets are in the chronological order of their launch date, although for some markets the activity effectively starts after the launch date (e.g., AlphaBay).

• From Abacus Market to WeTheNorth, the leading markets of 2025 offer a wide range of illicit goods and services, each with unique features and transaction methods.
• Agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Europol monitor marketplaces over long periods rather than acting immediately.
• This aligns with the dominant listing patterns seen on general-purpose markets like Vortex.
• This suggests that the multiseller activity is sensitive to external shocks but also that it yields higher profits.
• A dark web search engine like DuckDuckGo offers impressive anonymity features and makes it easy to access the shops.
• As of October 2022, the largest volume of drugs purchased at two large marketplaces – BlackSprut and Mega – were for cathinones such as mephedrone and alpha-PVP.
• This is the part of the internet known as the dark web, and it’s accessible via mainstream search engines such as Google.

The 10 Biggest Dark Web Markets in 2025 – Updated List & Security Insights

The recovery pattern is fairly consistent until the Hydra Marketplace closure, after which no dominant darknet market emerged. Torzon market made its debut in September 2022, and ever since, it has been on an upward trajectory. In fact, it now features more than 11,600 illegal items, which include hacking tools, hard drugs, and all types of cybercrime services. Therefore, it’s clear that as long as there’s demand and supply of illegal products, the darknet markets are going nowhere anytime soon, no matter the number of times law enforcement takes them down.

What Happened to The Silk Road?

The trade in fake luxury items and identification documents continues to thrive, driven by the demand for high-quality knockoffs and fraudulent credentials. Cointelegraph is committed to providing independent, high-quality journalism across the crypto, blockchain, AI, and fintech industries. To support open access to our website and sustain editorial operations, certain commercial or partner references may appear on our site.

How do cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Monero play a role in darknet transactions?

The platform also advertises user‑engagement features such as a raffle and paid account upgrades for expanded functionality. Trackers note that, like several modern markets, Catharsis claims to prohibit highly harmful or reputationally damaging categories (e.g., explicit abuse material, certain forms of violence-related content). Such bans can influence users’ trust perceptions but do not mitigate the inherent risks of illicit-market environments. When one goes down, two more emerge with new ideas, better technology, and greater difficulty to track. It’s an ever-evolving ecosystem—constantly shifting, reinventing itself, and adapting. Registration was mandatory to access the Silk Road (like most darknet platforms).

Why Do Dark Web Marketplaces Change So Frequently?

Different reports rank marketplaces based on varying criteria such as time period, transaction volume, or investigative relevance. Cryptocurrency transactions are analyzed to identify payment patterns and laundering methods. Once wallets are linked to real-world identities, marketplaces lose a key layer of protection.

Robin Williams Loved Video Games and Trash Talked the Kids He Played Online

The persistent demand for these illegal drugs underscores the ongoing challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in curbing the illicit drug trade on the dark web. These platforms offer a wide variety of drug listings, often organized by categories such as stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens. User reviews and ratings are commonly featured, allowing buyers to assess the quality and reliability of the drugs being offered. Torzon Market, which emerged in September 2022, has introduced a unique vendor feedback system that imports feedback from other markets with PGP proof, enhancing trust and transparency.

Abacus

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) specifically cited the market’s role in the fentanyl trade as a reason for the bust. “Typically, illicit transactions constitute at or below 1% of total crypto activities. While addressing these issues is essential, broadly labeling crypto negatively is inaccurate and counterproductive.” The dark web is famous when it comes to hosting as well as spreading explicit and illegal content.

These vendors had more than $140 million in revenue over an eight-month period. Surprisingly, although DWMs have gained significant attention from the scientific community and law enforcement agencies, little is known about the key players sustaining their unusual adaptability and responsive dynamics. However, owing to the difficulty of identifying relevant transactions, most studies rely on user surveys17,18 and data scraped from DWM websites19,20,21,22,23,24. In particular, these studies are based on user reviews which carry many inaccuracies, for instance, with respect to the time and value of the transaction19, that further compound error in other measures.

Darknet Market Revenues Rise In 2023 As Markets Develop Role Specialization

However, engaging in illegal activities on the darknet is against the law and can result in serious criminal charges. If you access illegal content or participate in criminal transactions, you face legal consequences. The legality depends on your activities and your country’s specific laws regarding darknet use. In this system, cryptocurrency is held by a trusted third party until the buyer receives the product or service as described. Darknet marketplaces emerged around 2011, with Silk Road setting the standard for how these platforms operate.

Torzon Market

The platform also cares about its users and uses PGP encryption and two-factor authentication to secure their data and communication. With a growing user base and expanding inventory, Vortex is positioning itself as an “all-in-one” darknet marketplace. It blends illegal trade with features like gambling, all while maintaining a clear and accessible structure. Its intuitive interface and advanced search features make it easy to find local and global products. The marketplace extensively vets vendors listed within its deep web environment that offer a wide range of product portfolios, including security solutions, digital services, and specialized equipment.

Cryptocurrency

The ability to seamlessly communicate with vendors via secure messaging systems also greatly improves overall user experience. Experienced users typically prefer marketplaces with robust vendor rating systems, detailed feedback options, and transparent dispute resolution processes. Platforms known for consistently resolving issues and eliminating fraudulent vendors quickly gain credibility and user loyalty. Transactions within these marketplaces typically leverage cryptocurrencies—most commonly Monero, Bitcoin, and privacy-centric digital currencies developed specifically to enhance transaction anonymity. Monero, in particular, has become the preferred cryptocurrency on the dark web in 2026 due to its advanced privacy mechanisms, which obscure transaction histories and wallet balances from public view. Launched in 2020, Cypher Marketplace sells fraudulent documents, stolen credit cards, fake IDs, and malware.

• Looking ahead, the future of darknet markets appears promising, with ongoing innovations in encryption, decentralized technologies, and community-driven governance models.
• Torzon market made its debut in September 2022, and ever since, it has been on an upward trajectory.
• I’ve been poking around these places for a while now, from the giants like Abacus to the old-timers like Vice City.
• A once-sizable illicit enterprise that began in 2014, AlphaBay was closed by authorities in 2017 and then reopened in 2021.
• That prevents small dealers from participating in the market and a natural tendency towards fewer but larger dealers on those markets,” Fiedler told Decrypt.
• These range from luxury products, such as designer handbags and apparel, to fake identification documents.
• He recommends verifying market employees carefully, and to weed out law enforcement infiltration through barium meal tests.

Furthermore, we analyse the seller-to-seller (S2S) network, i.e., the network composed only of transactions among sellers, which can be regarded as a supply chain network of illicit goods and services. We highlight that these networks exhibit different resilience regimes in the presence of external shocks, the ecosystem’s resilience being mostly guaranteed by the network of buyers rather than sellers. The evolution of darknet markets has been marked by significant advancements in technology, user experience, and economic efficiency.

Marketplaces often collapse when servers, hosting providers, or related services are seized. Even partial disruptions can trigger panic, causing users and vendors to abandon the platform. Its catalog includes physical narcotics, digital goods, stolen accounts, and subscription bypass tools.

• Cybercrime enablement represents flows from ransomware, stolen funds, malware, or fraud shops to darknet markets.
• To access this marketplace, you must register, but before that, you must verify yourself as a human by passing a CAPTCHA test.
• One of the key developments in recent years has been the emergence of user-friendly interfaces and Tor-based marketplaces.
• A public FBI/CISA advisory reports more than 21,000 infostealer-log listings across cybercriminal forums in a single quarter of 2024.

It is a hub for financial cybercrime and offers a wide range of illicit services and stolen data that cater to sophisticated cybercriminals. Personal and financial data are commonly sold on dark markets, facilitating identity theft and fraudulent activities. The significance here lies in the potential damage to individuals and businesses.

It is a wallet-based shop, meaning you must first deposit bitcoins into your wallet before purchasing any goods and services. The marketplace is much more organized, which makes it easy to use and navigate. 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. We reviewed dark web marketplaces by analyzing publicly available cybersecurity reports, threat-intelligence research, and historical records.

In fact, when we compute the total net income for each seller, a considerable fraction (16%) has a negative net income because they spend in markets where they are not classified as sellers, or in the U2U network. Moreover, we find a change of trend between the seller and the buyer median net income time series which reflects the dominance of markets, as detailed in the next section. Here, we set out to find the main actors in the DWM ecosystem and assess their systemic impact on a dataset of 40 million Bitcoin transactions involving the 31 major markets in the period 2011–2021. Importantly, the algorithm returns reasonable estimates for the number of sellers when compared against a benchmark of nine DWMs where estimates exist. Then, we reveal a concentration of activity around an elite group of participants, where a large fraction of the trading volume is driven by a small number of players.

Both Agartha and Cartel earned enough revenue within the 35-week period we tracked them to be characterized as midsize companies, earning $91.6 million and $32.3 million, respectively. Other markets like Aurora, DeepMart, and WhiteHouse were also on track to reach the revenue of a midsize company if given a full year to earn. Nonetheless, 2023 saw a rise in new types of scams, including romance scams — also known as pig butchering scams. These types of scams more than doubled in revenue year-over-year, with data indicating a growth of 85x since 2020. In adherence to the Trust Project guidelines, BeInCrypto is committed to unbiased, transparent reporting. However, readers are advised to verify facts independently and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.

DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine that works as Tor browser’s primary search engine. It doesn’t track searches or store personal data, making it a strong option for users seeking more anonymous private browsing. However, DuckDuckGo doesn’t index dark web content — it only accesses surface and deep web sites through Tor.

Even after the takedown of Hydra Market in April 2022, no other major Russian-language darknet markets have been dismantled, allowing them to continue driving illicit crypto drug activity. It has built a reputation for being a reliable source of stolen credit card data and PII. Renowned for its extensive inventory of financial data and sophisticated operating methods, Brian’s Club is a key player in the underground economy of financial cybercrime.

In conclusion, the darknet ecosystem continues to evolve, driven by technological advancements and the growing demand for secure online trade. As these markets become more sophisticated, they offer users a reliable and efficient platform for conducting transactions, solidifying their position as a cornerstone of the digital economy. Some believe STYX is the OG darknet market when it comes to financial crimes. It trades in hacked bank accounts, stolen credit card information, and other services that facilitate cryptocurrency laundering.

The integration of cryptocurrencies has made them a significant player in the dark web market ecosystem, facilitating secure and anonymous transactions. Vendor feedback systems are another critical feature, enhancing accountability and helping users avoid scams. These systems often resemble eBay-like formats, allowing buyers darknet markets links to compare products and vendors based on reviews and ratings. The transparency provided by these feedback systems is essential in importing vendor feedback and building trust within the darknet market ecosystem. Darknet markets are online platforms for the anonymous buying and selling of illegal goods and services.

Then, during 2017 and 2018, it shows the structural change due to operation Bayonet, when it shrinks. However, unlike the multiseller network, the S2S network recovers during 2019 and 2020, but slower than the multibuyer network recovery. Therefore, the S2S network appears to be more resilient than the multiseller network but less than the multibuyer network. The same pattern is observed in the whole S2S network (see Supplementary Information Section S5).

For each entity, we keep track of the cumulative values of the six features for each transaction performed by the entity over time. To be classified as a seller, an entity must simultaneously satisfy the six feature threshold criteria, as follows. 7, we show the largest component of the S2S network one year before the operation Bayonet and one year after. However, the evolution of the S2S network shows a different pattern than that observed in both the multiseller and the multibuyer networks.

Public threat‑intel places its launch in 2021 and notes a design and workflow similar to mainstream DNMs. As of April 22, 2025, open‑source monitoring counted 9,000+ listings across drugs, fraud, counterfeit documents, malware, and “how‑to” guides. Users must look for platforms employing robust encryption protocols, secure escrow services, and advanced anti-phishing measures. Additional layers, such as two-factor authentication (2FA), encrypted PGP messaging, and built-in wallet security, significantly enhance protection against theft and hacking.