How to Get in the Dark Web?

Darknet, deep web, or dark web – no matter what you call it – is basically a hidden part of the world wide web. In this article, we are going to take a look at what the dark web actually is and how to access it. 

Dark Web in a Nutshell

First of all, the dark web is often mistaken for the deep web. There are multiple layers to the Internet and, obviously, not all of them are easily visible and accessible to an average user.

The very first, the surface layer of the World Wide Web is the Clearnet. It is visible to the general public and easily accessible through such search engines, as Bing, Google, Yahoo, and the like. The results you get upon performing a search via these engines are considered the Clearnet.

Alright now, what is Clearnet? Clearnet is basically the content that is crawled, indexed, and displayed by the conventional search engines mentioned above. The Clearnet makes about 4% of the World Wide Web and the remaining 96% is everything you won’t access through regular means – the deep web and the dark web, to be precise. 

Now, 90% of the Internet consists of the deep web. In other words, it’s a very large part. As you have probably assumed, it’s not indexed by regular search engines. The deep web includes private data and records, including PayPal information, tax info, Amazon shopping records, etc. It’s everything that requires credentials for access.

The deep web is the internet that is not indexed by search engines. This includes records and private information like amazon shopping records, PayPal information, tax information. Basically, anything that you need a credential to access is the deep web.

The rest of the internet – the remaining 6% – is the dark web also referred to as darknet. This is a rather unusual place, where odd things are happening. Some even consider it the ‘wild west of the web.’ The darknet flourishes on anonymity – everything here is hidden from conventional crawlers and indexing. In order to get to the dark web, you would need to use special software. And, as you will learn, even links on the darknet seriously differ from what you’re used to on the Clearnet.

Why Is the Dark Side of the Web Hidden?

As was mentioned above, accessing the dark web requires special software. It’s like this because the darknet is run on private servers that ensure an augmented degree of anonymity while making it difficult for third parties – e.g. authorities – to shut them down. And this, expectedly, has led the darknet to become a promising platform for a wide range of illegal activities. So, if you’ve wondered how to get weed on the dark web, it’s perhaps one of the most innocent things one can do on this part of the internet.

What Does the Darknet Hide?

The dark web is a place, where you can get a wide range of things, including drugs and even weapons. But, perhaps the most valuable goods on the darknet are personal and financial data, such as identity information, credit card information, etc. Illegal business activities and deals are also common to the dark web. And this also includes some of the worst things humanity has come to today, such as hiring hitmen and perverse porn that is banned in every single part of the world.

Accessing Darknet Websites

1. You need the Tor browser

Tor was initially created to help protect the online communication of US Intelligence. Ironically, today it is used as a browser for many illegal operations that can’t be easily tracked by authorities. And, Tor is one of several ways of accessing .onion sites on the darknet.

Tor is essentially a version of the widely known Mozilla Firefox browser, but with modifications that allow anonymous browsing. It also uses various techniques to prevent identity reveal. For example, resizing the browser window’s dimensions might be not the best idea if you want to stay anonymous.

2. You should get a paid Virtual Private Network (VPN) service

In a nutshell, VPNs are servers that users connect through in order to access the internet. This way users get to mask their origin and make it look as if they were located in other places around the world. Installing a VPN is a crucial tool for browsing the darknet since even though Tor hides your identity, your location remains visible.

There are multiple premium VPN services out there, such as NordVPN and ExpressVPN, for example. Many of them offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you don’t like the services provided, you can cancel them and get a refund.

3. You need a relevant search engine

Browsing the darknet differs from navigating the Clearnet. The thing is that you won’t be able to see dark web pages in conventional search engines, since they don’t index them. Duck Duck Go is a good engine to start your way into the darknet.

4. You need a secure email address

Before you start browsing, you need to create an untraceable email account. Forget about Gmail. You will need an email that will allow you to use a lot of .onion sites. Some of the best dark web email services include:

• ProtonMail;
• Mail2Tor;
• RiseUp;
• TORbox.

You should also note that these services are located on .onion domains, so you will have to use Tor in order to access them.

Security on the Darknet

We’ve already mentioned that the dark web is not the safest segment of the internet. Therefore, you need to learn how to avoid trouble.

1. Keep your Tor browser up to date

You can’t access .onion sites without Tor. But, just like any other software, this browser has its weaknesses and is updated from time to time. Make sure to pay attention to vulnerability notices and always keep the browser up to date.

2. VPN provides additional protection

As was mentioned above, using a VPN is crucial as it helps to maintain your privacy on the web along with protecting your identity and data you send from and receive to your device. However, it’s essential to make certain that the VPN you’re running meets particular and essential criteria. For example, you want to use an app that is based out of a country that doesn’t have any strict data persistence laws, like Hong Kong, Bulgaria, Romania, the British Virgin Islands, and the Netherlands. This way you will be sure that your private data is secure.

3. Forget about macros

Using macros and apps that run things like JavaScript are like Swiss cheese – they are full of holes in terms of your private data security. Clearnet sites use them as a rule and that’s totally fine, but if you run across a darknet site that asks you to enable scripts, it’s best to avoid it and its malware infections along with it.

4. Download cautiously

So, you want to avoid malware and viruses on the darknet, so make sure to download things off the dark web with caution. Malicious code can be found in pretty much any type of files and there’s no telling what it can do before you realize it got into your system. Using a virtual machine for downloads in order to isolate them from all the rest of your operating system might be a good idea. 

5. It’s all in your head

People generally consider the internet a rather safe place and don’t really think about catching a worm or some other malware while browsing. And while it might be somewhat fine for the Clearnet, this mindset can lead you to serious trouble on the darknet.

If you want to dive into the deep waters of the dark web, you must always be on guard and trust nobody. And don’t forget that the darknet isn’t Facebook – be extremely careful about making new friends on there.

How Dangerous Is the Dark Web?

The darknet is widely associated with a wide range of illegal activities. At the same time, it has an upper hand in maintaining its users’ anonymity. In other words, there are quite a few chances of being associated with unwanted entities, whether law enforcement agencies or scammers, or being scammed, or even get into life-threatening situations. So, before you do it, you should go through some basic training about how to get on the dark web. You don’t want to put yourself at risk. Below, we are going to take a look at the major troubles you can get into while on the dark web. 

The Risk of Getting Hacked

Perhaps, one of the most probable issues is getting hacked on the darknet. The place is full of hackers. In case you have some valuable files or folders in your system that some hacker might be interested in, they will most certainly try to hack that data. And the thing is you won’t tell a layman from a hacker on the darknet. Blackmail is not excluded either. A reliable and high-quality VPN service will provide some degree of protection, but it’s best to make sure that the device you’re accessing the darknet from doesn’t have any crucial data that hackers might get interested in.

Wallet Drainage

On the darknet, users’ wallets are always at risk of being drained by hackers. Dark web rookies often don’t realize that they are risking their financial data when browsing. The thing is, you link your bank account to a wide range of things, including online stores, app stores, services, etc. This is why you need a darknet email, a VPN, and Tor to protect your anonymity, privacy, and sensitive data from any harmful interactions.

Being Targeted by Law Enforcement Agencies

Once again, the darknet hosts a lot of illegal activities, including some serious crimes. The FBI and other agencies are surfing the dark web pretending to be regular users for a reason. Rookies may be unaware of that and eventually become agents’ targets. Therefore, make sure to stay away from any interactions or conversations that might get you in trouble. Keep to yourself, don’t disclose any personal details, and just look through the things that you may be interested in.

Getting Involved in a Drug Case

Drug dealing is clearly one of the most notable unlawful activities on the darknet. In spite of the incredible amount of confiscations and cessation, various dark web stores and markets continue to work and sell. Sellers from all over the globe market various types of drugs to users located pretty much anywhere. Getting into a drug case basically means that you could get captured by a law enforcement agency if you go to the darknet without appropriate safety measures or commit an operational security mistake. So, if you’re wondering about how to get weed on the dark web, maybe you should get rid of this idea.

By the way, users that regularly browse the darknet or have been doing it for a long time don’t draw so much attention from law enforcement. It’s simply because they know how to act and what to do in this part of the internet. However, this is not a guarantee of not becoming a law enforcement target. There’s always a risk.

Wrapping Up

We’re going to finish at this point, but you should understand that the things described in this article are seriously watered down. For example, the illegal part of the dark web has some things that we’re not even going to mention here. However, the darknet can provide you with the freedom to talk about anything, for example, about politics, and not worry about being prosecuted by local authorities. 

An additional layer of privacy and anonymity doesn’t protect you from the all-seeing eye of the intelligence agencies. Even though it’s the darknet, users caught for illegal activities are always charged. Use the freedom of the dark web wisely and cautiously.