The most common online stores in the darknet are those with prohibited goods for the sale of drugs, weapons, counterfeit money, etc. Also, the market for illegal services is developed in the darknet, up to contract killings. In the “shadow Internet” you can also find resources specializing in database leaks (departments, banks, mobile operators, etc.) and the sale of insider information. In addition, there are relatively “peaceful” services in the darknet: for example, anonymous mail services, analogues of social networks and online libraries, as well as forums for communication and discussion of any topics.
Their services also host legal resources on the darknet to help users bypass blockages and provide access from anywhere in the world. For example, since 2014, the social network Facebook (the parent company Meta is recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia) and some media outlets, such as The New York Times, BBC and Deutsche Welle, have had their own version of the site on the Tor network.
What can I buy on the darknet
According to Alexander Dvoryansky, Director of Special Projects at Angara Security, there are several types of the most common offers in the darknet:
sale and purchase of databases;
requests and suggestions about hacking accounts (mail, social networks, messengers);
sale and purchase of bank cards issued to front persons, opening and sale of settlement accounts in banks, paperwork, etc.;
services for “punching”;
cash-out and money laundering services (most often criminal) for a percentage;
rendering of false documents, including medical certificates;
buying and selling anonymous proxy servers;
search for employees and insiders.
The turnover of physical goods is limited to bank and SIM cards, drugs and precursors, forged documents, counterfeit bills, specific devices (skimmers, lock picks, radio signal jammers, etc.) and weapons, says Andrey Kolmakov, head of the Department of Research on High-tech Crimes at Group-IB. Services outside the Internet are reduced to operations for cashing stolen funds and drug distribution, turnover of goods purchased at the expense of stolen funds, selection of drops (figureheads), he explained.