Are you ready to dive into the world of the Dark Web? Brace yourself for a wild ride as we explore some chilling statistics brought to you by Business 2 Community researchers, revealing the dangerous and frightening side of the internet’s underbelly
First off, did you know that dark web usage has surged over 300% since 2017?
With the COVID-19 pandemic driving more people online, criminals are taking advantage of the anonymity offered by the dark web to expand their operations.
But that’s not all – over 25 million passwords belonging to Fortune 1000 employees were found on the dark web, posing a massive security threat to both the companies and their customers.
Other data shows that 24 billion username and password combinations are available for sale on dark web sites.
And a shocking 90% of posts on dark web forums are from buyers looking to contract someone for cybercrime.
From hacking to phishing, the nefarious activities being facilitated there can cause significant harm to individuals and organizations.
Up to 5% of global GDP is laundered on the Dark Web
And the dark web isn’t just about cybercrime – it’s also a hotspot for money laundering, with an estimated 2-5% of global GDP being laundered on the dark web in one year alone.
Firearms and illegal drugs are also popular items for sale, making up a significant portion of the dark web marketplace.
But it gets even more disturbing – hitmen are available for hire on the dark web for as little as $20,000, and there are an estimated 50,000 active terror groups with a presence on the dark web.
And if that’s not enough, even child spirits are being sold on the dark web for people to make their bidding.
And while the existence of torture Red Rooms is still up for debate, the fact that people would even consider paying to watch someone being tortured is deeply disturbing.
It is not all bad stuff – there are whistleblowers and democracy activists on the dark web
But before you swear off the dark web completely, know that it’s not always a tool for bad stuff.
In fact, it can also be used for good, such as being a platform for whistleblowers to share information without fear of reprisal.
So, are you ready to venture into the dark web? Or are you content to stay in the relative safety of the surface web?
