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.

• Another notable trend is the rise of encrypted peer-to-peer (P2P) messaging systems integrated directly within marketplaces, providing secure communication channels between buyers and sellers.
• Registration was mandatory to access the Silk Road (like most darknet platforms).
• But in fact it was a guerrilla marketing stunt promoting OMG, a darknet marketplace selling heroin, mephedrone, marijuana, and everything else in between.
• The Russian Market, in particular, excels in providing tools aimed at facilitating large-scale fraud.
• Last month, blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis uncovered direct financial ties between Mexican drug cartels and Chinese suppliers of fentanyl precursors through crypto transactions.
• Those choices do not negate core ecosystem risks—availability volatility, phishing/DDoS, and persistent enforcement pressure—so public details can change quickly.
• This could stop the flow of stolen data through the supply chain and disrupt the underground economy that profits from your personal data.
• “But as scams on more blockchains including Ethereum, Tron, and Solana have grown, so too has the use of DeFi protocols,” the report noted.

What are Darknet Markets? Complete Guide

Recent operations have resulted in significant successes, such as the dismantling of Hydra Market by German authorities, who seized servers and $24.6 million in Bitcoin. Similarly, the takedown of Kingdom Market in late 2023 led to the arrest of its administrator and involved over 42,000 product listings. This trend is backed up by the data, which shows a sharp decline in the number of transfers sent to darknet markets, but an increase in total revenue. In the below graph, the currencies included are Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, and Tether.

Range of Available Products

We showed that a small fraction of traders is responsible for a large fraction of the trading volume, and by analysing the networks of buyers and sellers, we found different resilience regimes. Shocks tend to induce serious structural changes in the multiseller network, but impact the multibuyer network much less severely. Interestingly, the S2S network shows an intermediate level of resilience, which suggests that the S2S network might play the role of a supply chain network on the dark web.

Hacking services

If you purchase something from such shops and make payment through conventional payment methods like your bank transfer, credit/debit card, or PayPal, you can be caught easily and face legal consequences. Cypher marketplace has been on the list of the best dark web shops for a while and deals with the business of a variety of products and services. The shop accepts payment through Bitcoin and Monero, while some vendors accept the coins. Mega Market is a new yet popular shop on the dark web that reached a skyrocketing reputation after the closure of the Hydra market.

Buyers and sellers

Nevertheless, due to their unregulated nature, DWMs exhibit behaviours not observed in regulated marketplaces. They offer anonymity to their users by using and developing specialized tools. DWMs are accessed through darknet browsers supporting the onion routing protocol (e.g., Tor), which provides anonymous communication connections35. Additionally, transactions are made with cryptocurrencies, mostly Bitcoin, which also provide anonymity to the transaction parties6,36.

Types of Illicit Goods and Services

Background research tasks included learning from past drug lords, researching legal matters, studying law enforcement agency tactics and obtaining legal representation. Patterns recommended to avoid include hiring hitmen like Dread Pirate Roberts, and sharing handles for software questions on sites like Stack Exchange. One of the central[75] discussion forums was Reddit’s /r/DarkNetMarkets/,[76][77][78] which has been the subject of legal investigation, as well as the Tor-based discussion forum, The Hub. Analysts rely on publicly available sources such as cybersecurity reports, court documents, and research publications. This helps build a picture of marketplace activity without interacting with the platforms themselves. Each takedown affects the wider ecosystem by spreading distrust across other marketplaces.

Cryptocurrency

In 2025, several popular dark web marketplaces have risen to prominence, attracting users with their diverse offerings and robust security measures. From Abacus Market to WeTheNorth, these platforms represent the cutting edge of dark web marketplaces. It is common to hear news reports about large data breaches, but what happens once your personal data is stolen? Our research shows that, like most legal commodities, stolen data products flow through a supply chain consisting of producers, wholesalers, and consumers. But this supply chain involves the interconnection of multiple criminal organizations operating in illicit underground marketplaces.

Early warning signals for predicting cryptomarket vendor success using dark net forum networks

With the advent of several markets at the beginning of 2014, the number of multisellers rapidly grows, representing more than 20% of all sellers until the beginning of 2016 (see Supplementary Information Section S3). During 2016 and 2017, AphaBay becomes the dominant market (see Fig. 3), polarizing sellers around its own ecosystem, such that the fraction of multisellers decreases to 10% of all sellers until its closure. Then, after operation Bayonet, the number of sellers in all categories and multisellers significantly drops, as shown in Fig.

Hacking Tools and Services

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. These white, synthetic stimulant powders that mimic cocaine and MDMA are highly prevalent in Russia, eastern Europe and the Balkans because they’re cheap and easy to manufacture locally. According to Dark.fail, recently, the darknet marketplace’s head moderator “Se7en” sharply criticized the phishers, darknet markets LE cooperators, and doxxers of the community, and this event could be a consequence of that. Abacus Market operated as a central deposit wallet, multisignature darknet marketplace supporting both Bitcoin and Monero cryptocurrencies. All content in this repository is published solely for educational use and is intended to promote ethical research and knowledge. Any unauthorized use of this information for illegal activities is strictly discouraged.

New Research Exposes Critical Gap: 64% of Third-Party Applications Access Sensitive Data Without Authorization

With Abacus’s departure, remaining platforms such as DrugHub, TorZon Market, and MGM Grand face increased pressure to absorb displaced users while navigating the same risks that led to their predecessor’s downfall. This sharp decrease in user confidence preceded the marketplace’s complete disappearance from all internet-facing infrastructure, including its clearnet mirror. A curated collection of darknet resources for educational purposes, offering insights into darknet frameworks, tools, and security practices. Contrary to predictions, the market for cryptocurrency “cleaning” services, or Bitcoin mixers, stagnated.

Darknet markets differentiate themselves by unique service offering

Europol’s 2024 IOCTA notes Kerberos as a prominent “emerging” market, launched in 2022 with a focus on end‑user experience and security, a wide product mix (from drugs to digital items and stolen data), and Bitcoin/Monero support. Self‑described landing pages also advertise additional coins and platform hardening features, but these claims are not independently verified. To prevent users from DDoS attacks, it provides personal marketplace domains to high-volume buyers and sellers. Moreover, this darknet shop provides detailed statistics about each user profile on the platform, giving users a better idea of the vendors for the buyers and vice versa.

In panels (b, c), we show the number of all sellers and buyers per quarter, respectively. In panels (d, e), we show the median net income in USD of all sellers and buyers per quarter, respectively. In panels (f, g), we show the PDF of the total money received by each seller and the total money sent by each buyer, respectively. The following month RuTor retaliated, hacking WayAway and posting screenshots of the breach, arguing that WayAway’s security was too weak to be trusted. Days later RuTor was targeted for another round of cyber attacks, this time by Killnet.

• These white, synthetic stimulant powders that mimic cocaine and MDMA are highly prevalent in Russia, eastern Europe and the Balkans because they’re cheap and easy to manufacture locally.
• Nevertheless, most of the items in the darknet markets are illegal or heavily regulated.
• The tool scans the dark web marketplaces and forums for signs of compromised personal credentials.
• Our classification shows that the number of sellers is significantly smaller than the number of buyers, as shown in Figs.
• Hacktivist attacks have already evolved from denial-of-service operations to data leaks and critical compromises, a trend expected to grow.
• These tools enable a rapidly growing cohort of organizations around the world to safely embrace cryptocurrency-related transactions, products, and partnerships.
• Unfortunately, many dark web websites are devoted to the illegal trade of leaked personal information.
• Specifically, interruptions to supply chains and shipping routes have caused darknet market delays, prompting complaints from frustrated customers.
• Its 9,000+ users and 700+ vendors focus on drug trades with strong escrow security.

In general, by understanding the operation of key players within the DWM ecosystem, our work highlights how appropriate strategies can be designed to counteract the online trade of illicit goods more effectively. The Dark Web is a concealed segment of the internet that can be accessed only through specialized software such as Tor. In 2026, it remains an increasingly influential part of the digital landscape.

TRM Talks: Hydra Takedown: A discussion with experts from U.S. Treasury, Flashpoint and TRM Labs

Tor Browser provides anonymity by routing your traffic through a global volunteer network. We’re back with another video in our Webz Insider video series on everything web data. Learn how to automate financial risk reports using AI and news data with this guide for product managers, featuring tools from Webz.io and OpenAI.

Top 15 Best Ethical Hacking Tools – 2026

The market’s extensive product range and robust security measures have made it a popular choice among users. Abacus Market’s rise to prominence underscores the dynamic and competitive nature of dark web markets, where new entrants continually vie for dominance. This theory is supported by the fact the number of active darknet markets themselves are also on the decline.

Darknet Markets Explained

• Torzon market made its debut in September 2022, and ever since, it has been on an upward trajectory.
• DNMs are located on the “darknet,” which is unreachable on standard internet browsers like Chrome, Firefox, or Safari because the darknet is unindexed.
• Alphabay Market leads with 60,000+ listings and $20 million in monthly trades via BTC and XMR, dominating 20% of darknet marketplaces.
• It is considered a go-to site for malware purchasing, providing keyloggers, trojans, and other Malware as a Service products.
• A once-sizable illicit enterprise that began in 2014, AlphaBay was closed by authorities in 2017 and then reopened in 2021.

The CIA’s onion site allows users to securely report threats or suspicious activity, especially in regions where online surveillance is common. Its presence on the dark web also supports intelligence gathering and helps track cybercriminal activity. Onion sites, or dark web websites, are sites on the dark web that can typically only be accessed using special software like the Tor browser. These sites use “.onion” domains, which are made up of random letters and numbers up to 56 characters long. Dark web websites won’t show up on Google, but they are indexed by dark web search engines such as Torch. Authorities struggle to track transactions in decentralized systems due to scarce data trails.

Purchasing or selling illegal goods—such as controlled substances, counterfeit documents, or stolen data—can result in significant legal penalties, including fines, criminal charges, and imprisonment. Even users who access these platforms without intent to buy illegal items risk suspicion or investigation. Dark web markets have exploded in scale and reach in 2025, becoming the most dangerous hubs for trading drugs, stolen data, and hacking tools. These anonymous marketplaces—operating mainly on the Tor network—are now a primary threat vector for businesses and cybersecurity professionals. Torrez Market powers 30,000+ listings and $6 million monthly trades with BTC and XMR, securing a 9% share.

If the address is in one of the cybercrime datasets, the person will receive an email that includes personalized instructions on how to clean up their computer and make it safe again. In the first 24 hours of launching Check your hack, two million people took advantage of the service. So far, five million people have used the tool, and over 13,000 victims have been notified that their computer was infected, and received instructions to help them make their device safe again. Using his credentials, cybercriminals committed a variety of online fraud activity over the course of six months. Indeed, one of the most recent darknet market busts was the Nemesis online market.

Understanding both the lawful and unlawful scenarios helps provide a balanced view of their practical applications in 2025. Flugsvamp 4.0 presents as a localized, drug‑centric market that inherited the Flugsvamp brand but not its full network effects. Scholarly analyses highlight how Swedish vendors largely migrated away from FS4 after 2021, with the 2025 Archetyp takedown again reshaping where Swedish traffic lands. As with any hidden service, features and status are fluid; third‑party tracker details should be treated as directional rather than definitive.

Some, such as Julia Finess, have become popular and also made a name for themselves on TikTok. “They show an affluent lifestyle with expensive apartments, luxury brands, but with a touch of illicit intrigue.” Many of Telegram’s Russian drug bloggers are most likely sponsored by new darknet drug shops. They often wear clothes with shop logos and publish price lists and post links. It’s not established yet how the drugs were brought to occupied Ukraine but the dealing network likely has some connection with Russian soldiers or non-combat staff. Some of these sites have turned to influencers to boost their publicity campaigns.

By late 2014, Evolution had risen to prominence as one of the largest drug markets on the dark web, capitalizing on the offline status of competitors following Operation Onymous. To do this, we first identified 30 darknet markets advertising stolen data products. We found several thousand vendors selling tens of thousands of stolen data products on 30 darknet markets.

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.

The same reports highlight gaps in the national ability to measure the full scale of this activity. Reputation scores and user feedback guide buyer decisions in the absence of real-world verification. Darknet market role specialization provides one possible explanation as to why the ecosystem has yet to see a dominant player.

• In Georgia, on its southern border, where more than 100,000 Russians have fled, there is Matanga, a local Russian-speaking darknet market offering the same “treasure hunt” buying system as back home.
• These platforms, accessible through darknet websites and onion links, provide users with secure and anonymous transactions, primarily facilitated by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
• We’re back with another video in our Webz Insider video series on everything web data.
• The evolution of darknet markets has been significantly influenced by the seamless integration of Tor networks and the development of user-friendly interfaces.
• Further supporting this interpretation, we observe that the trading volume of the U2U network increases after Bayonet, while the trading volume of markets decreases (see Supplementary Information Section S4).
• The S2S network is mostly populated by U2U-only sellers, followed by market-only, and market-U2U (see Supplementary Information Section S5).
• Cryptocurrency transactions are analyzed to identify payment patterns and laundering methods.
• This data enables account takeover attacks across email, social media, and corporate tools.

It tracks Tor user activity by region, showing trends in access and adoption without collecting personal data. These insights help researchers and privacy advocates understand where Tor is most relied upon, often highlighting global patterns in censorship, surveillance, and the demand for online anonymity. Facebook’s onion mirror allows people to access it in countries that block the platform, allowing people to connect across digital borders. That said, the social network’s data collection and tracking practices may seem at odds with many of the principles motivating dark web users.

As cyber threat intelligence professionals monitor these markets, they gain insights into emerging threats and malicious activities that can impact organizations and individuals. Dark-web marketplaces attract sophisticated cybercriminals adept at launching phishing scams, malware attacks, or ransomware threats. Buyers and sellers frequently face risks from malicious actors posing as legitimate vendors or customers, potentially leading to financial loss or exposure of sensitive personal information. Kerberos Market is commonly cited by law‑enforcement and OSINT trackers as a newer, general‑purpose marketplace.

We believe that advances in artificial intelligence can provide law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, and others with information needed to prevent stolen data from being used to commit fraud. This could stop the flow of stolen data through the supply chain and disrupt the underground economy that profits from your personal data. The darknet is used for anonymous communication, accessing censored information, and protecting privacy. Journalists and activists use it to communicate securely in oppressive regimes. You can access it for legitimate purposes like whistleblowing and freedom of expression.

It’s one of the largest darknet markets that launched in 2022 and trades sensitive financial credential transactions. It’s the place where you can buy or sell stolen credit card numbers, SSH login credentials, and personally identifiable information (PII). While there are legitimate products and services in the darknet markets, often, these markets deal with illicit goods and services like drugs, fake documents, and hacking services. Their presence can make you wonder why darknet markets and not just the regular online stores.