The Dark Web – What is it?
The ‘dark web’ forms part of the deep web and is not indexed in the normal way by search engines (e.g. Google etc).
‘Deep web’ websites are not indexed as they may consist of Internet email, forums, social media accounts, legal documents, online banking etc as well as ‘dark web’ sites.
The ‘Dark web’, however differs as it most often (though not always) contains illegal material. There can be alternative reasons for the website owner not wanting their site to form part of the normal Internet.
The dark web is normally accessed through software such as Tor Browser that allows the user to access those websites that are not accessible without it.
What is Contained on The Dark Web?
The dark web functions by using anonymity and hosts legal material, however, it is mainly known and reported in the press for the illegal material that is hosted within it such as stolen data, illegal drugs, hitmen for hire, child abuse images and counterfeit goods.
Purchases are made using cryptocurrency, mainly Bitcoin that allows the seller and buyer anonymity.
Due to the possible material and content that can be accessed via the dark web and the much lower level of regulation, it is important to be selective about the sites you intend to browse and how you intend to browse them as otherwise unexpected material, including illegal images etc, could be inadvertently encountered.
Tor Browser – Browsing the Dark Web
The Tor software (https://www.torproject.org/download/) allows browsing on Tor Onion Router which is given its name from the layers of encryption that surround it.
Normally browsing the dark web would involve using forums and known links to access websites as there is no central database of sites, such as Google or Yahoo provided within the World Wide Web Network.
The application named Tor Browser is based upon an old version of the Mozilla Firefox Internet browsing software and allows the user to connect to and browse the Internet via a virtual private network (VPN), meaning that their IP address cannot be identified and, normally, no Internet activity that takes place is retained by the computer.
Tor not only allows the access of the ‘dark web’ it also allows for the access of normal websites that may be blocked by the Internet service provider either due to the content of the website being deemed inappropriate (e.g. adult pornography is often blocked by service providers) by the provider or by the content being illegal.
About Athena Forensics
For information on our digital forensic services or if you require any advice or assistance please contact a member of our team on 0330 123 4448 or via email on enquiries@athenaforensics.co.uk, further details are available on our contact us page.
Our client’s confidentiality is of the utmost importance. All correspondence is treated with discretion, from initial contact to the conclusion of any computer forensics investigation.
Our digital forensics experts are fully aware of the significance and importance of the information that they encounter and we have been accredited to ISO 9001 for 10 years.
Our forensic experts are all security cleared and we offer non-disclosure agreements if required. Our premises along with our security procedures have been inspected and approved by law enforcement agencies.
Athena Forensics do not disclose personal information to other companies or suppliers.
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