This includes everything from academic papers and government documents to private, password-protected data like online banking, medical records, and email accounts. Darknet markets saw a rebound in revenue in 2023 after a decline in 2022 following the closure of the dominant Hydra Marketplace. While no single market has matched Hydra’s success, total darknet market revenue rose to $1.7 billion in 2023.
In May 2023, Europol Arrested 288 Dark Web Vendors From Nine Countries
Abacus Market was launched in 2021 and now lists over 40,000 illicit goods, including hacking tools, counterfeit documents, and listings for drugs. In 2024, it recorded on-chain revenue of $43.3 million, a 183 per cent increase, driven by vendor migrations post-shutdown of competitors, according to Chainalysis’ 2023 market report Darknet revenue in 2023. White House Market is a relatively new darknet market that has gained popularity due to its user-friendly interface and strong security measures. The market uses PGP 2-FA and Escrow to ensure the safety of its users, and it accepts Bitcoin and Monero as payment methods. White House Market also has a strict no-JS policy, which makes it more difficult for law enforcement to track its users.
As regulation of cryptocurrency businesses such as exchanges has tightened, it has become increasingly difficult to launder these funds. When it comes to cybercriminal enablement, markets like Kraken Market, the DNM Aggregator, and Exploit.in are go-to services, providing bad actors with tools to carry out ransomware attacks, hacks, and more. Kraken Market also captured the largest share of transfers potentially sent for the purpose of obfuscating funds, as well as buying illegal products. In addition to that activity, markets like these host vendors that advertise their own cashout or swapping services, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in laundered funds. Stolen credit and debit card data, along with bank and online payment account details, have long been the most popular items for sale on the darknet markets.
- The number remained high since, suggesting that the conversation (and offers) merely shifted from one type of platform to another.
- Also, previously, the Tor browser was vulnerable to JavaScript attacks as it provided hackers a pathway to track your activities by using the session details.
- U.S.-based drug vendors on Abacus Market advertising a synthetic opioid called China White, which its customers can purchase using Bitcoin or Monero.
- As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic.
What Is The Price Range For The Most Demanded Cyber Services/products On DWMs?
At the time, it had over 600,000 users, 17,000 listings, and approximately €250 million in transactions. Authorities seized €7.8 million and arrested operators in Germany, Spain, Sweden, Romania, the Netherlands, and the US Europol leads takedown of Archetyp. We present a comprehensive description of Hydra, the largest darknet marketplace in the world until its shutdown in April 2022. We document the main features of Hydra such as dead-drop delivery, feedback and reputation system, escrow, and dispute resolution. A bundle of 1,000 stolen email accounts sells for between 50 cents and $10, according to Symantec. The value is based on how quickly the email service can detect and block suspicious activity.
Tor2door Market
A recent study found that only a tiny portion of Tor’s daily users connect to the Dark Web with the intent to engage in illicit activities. To help Genesis Market victims and prevent future crimes, the Dutch Police created a Check your hack tool that lets victims see if their credentials were sold or for sale on Genesis Market. The tool is still available today, and interested parties simply need to enter their email address to place an inquiry.
Most Recent ThreatLists
- Launched in 2021 under the name “Alphabet Market,” Abacus steadily rose in prominence as competing marketplaces were dismantled through law enforcement operations.
- Western drug flows in particular come from US-domiciled exchanges and trace flows from those to darknet markets.
- The dark Web is the World Wide Web, which requires authorization and configurations of specific software to access.
- Revenues earned by darknet markets fell from $2.6 billion in 2021 to $1.3 billion in 2022, according to new research.
However, the trend is clear—illicit actors are expanding their strategies, forcing enforcement agencies to evolve their tracking methods to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated laundering techniques. As well as analyzing the trade in personal data on the dark web, we also investigated the sale of the tools used to steal these credentials. Our report on this topic was published in July 2018 and included data on U.S. and UK brands. Contact your financial institution as soon as you suspect fraudulent activities are happening on your account.
Darknet Markets Saw Crypto Revenues Rise In 2023 Despite Global Crackdown
When the FBI arrested Ulbricht in 2013 for money laundering and drug trafficking, among other offenses, the criminal complaint revealed the marketplace had generated over $1.2 billion in just two years. Short for “The Onion Router,” Tor uses the decentralized onion routing network to allow users to browse the internet anonymously. Unlike VPNs, which also provide anonymity, it reroutes the users’ traffic through a network of nodes rather than just a single server. This way, Tor makes it much more difficult to trace the traffic back to the original user. Additionally, Tor enables users to access darknet sites hosted on .onion domains, something most common browsers can’t do. As its contents are unindexed, it’s impossible to determine the Dark Web’s exact size.
Emerging Darknet Marketplaces Of 2025 Anatomy Tactics & Trends
This marketplace accepts payments via Monero but also supports the Escrow system. DarkFox Market is the largest dark web shop selling various products and attracting more vendors and users. It is a wallet-based shop, meaning you must first deposit bitcoins into your wallet before purchasing any goods and services.
In addition to these tools, the market offers access to compromised accounts, VPN services, and digital identities, making it a hub for individuals involved in illegal activities like hacking, identity theft, and other forms of cybercrime. Abacus Market, one of the largest remaining darknet drug marketplaces catering to Western users, has suddenly disappeared, triggering widespread speculation of a deliberate exit scam. The platform, which accepted Bitcoin and Monero, had grown rapidly over the past three years and was reportedly handling millions of dollars in daily cryptocurrency transactions before its abrupt shutdown. Launched in 2023, STYX focuses on financial crime, providing stolen credit card data, hacked bank accounts and access to various cryptocurrency laundering tools. For example, two months ago a Russian national was arrested in Arizona for allegedly deployed LockBit, Babuk, and Hive ransomware. The increased law enforcement activities of the past year are changing the landscape of cybercrime—one of the dark web trends about which we can all be happy.
TRM’s research further documents how darknet operators attempt to stay ahead of law enforcement through pseudonymous domain registration, rapid rebranding after takedowns, and the laundering of proceeds through high-risk exchanges. That case, like Archetyp, demonstrates how darknet infrastructure is often transnational, technically sophisticated, and deeply intertwined with the global financial system. Launched in 2021 under the name “Alphabet Market,” Abacus steadily rose in prominence as competing marketplaces were dismantled through law enforcement operations. By 2023, it had secured a dominant position, handling 70% of all Western darknet market users.
Privacy-focused operators are shifting to Monero due to its default anonymity, compared to Bitcoin’s transparent ledger Darknet markets see BTC inflow drop to $2B. Darknet marketplaces remain central to illicit trade in 2025, with evolving business models, payment systems, and law enforcement responses. This survey highlights active and recently shuttered markets with actionable metrics and intelligence for threat hunters, CISOs, and red team leaders.
It’s important to do your research and take precautions when using these markets to minimize the risk involved. Always remember that using darknet markets is illegal and can result in legal consequences. Cannazon is a darknet market that specializes in the sale of cannabis and related products. The market has a user-friendly interface and accepts Bitcoin and Monero as payment methods. The takedown of Hydra market undoubtedly caused a major rupture in the Russian darknet market ecosystem. In its wake, the US has also sanctioned several mixers and risky exchanges that handled stolen funds and which had exposure to Hydra wallets.
The Top 7 Dark Web Marketplaces In 2025
However, the lower volume is likely not due to these services disappearing altogether. Cryptocurrency cash-out services are not only advertised on Dark Web markets; this has never been the case. However, the takedown of Hydra coincided with a large increase in posts discussing cryptocurrency cash-out and mixers on forums in Flashpoint collections.
Focusing intelligence collection on specialised marketplaces yields better ROI for threat detection and proactive defence. The takedown of Archetyp Market is a clear signal that law enforcement agencies, supported by advanced blockchain intelligence, can disrupt even the most entrenched illicit platforms. But the resilience and evolution of these networks underscore the need for continued cross-border collaboration, technical innovation, and real-time monitoring to stay ahead of the next generation of darknet threats.
But when a vendor is arrested, their activity is disrupted across every DNM they operate on. As a result, law enforcement has adopted an intelligence-led enforcement strategy incorporating DNM takedowns into longer-term investigations rather than treating them as end goals. In late June 2025, users began reporting withdrawal issues with Abacus Market, which typically indicates an impending exit scam. The marketplace’s administrator, known as ‘Vito’, responded on darkweb discussion forum Dread, claiming an influx of Archetyp users and a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack were the reasons for the issues.
