What are Darknet Markets? Complete Guide

These features have positioned Torzon Market as a leading marketplace on the dark web. Its innovative approach to vendor feedback and premium services sets it apart from other markets, making it a noteworthy platform in 2025. This theory is supported darknet markets 2026 by the fact the number of active darknet markets themselves are also on the decline. The Chainalysis 2024 Crypto Crime Report highlights a $1.7 billion revenue surge in darknet markets and a rise in crypto-linked sanctions and new scam trends.

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• Unlike surface web platforms, darknet markets have no reliable way to verify vendors.
• Built on Tor, these sites mask IP addresses by routing traffic through encrypted relays, ensuring anonymity for both buyers and sellers.
• As cryptors, loaders, and stealers become more sophisticated, and underground markets remain resilient, organizations must prioritize robust cybersecurity measures in 2025.
• We highlight that these networks exhibit different resilience regimes in the presence of external shocks, the ecosystem’s resilience being mostly guaranteed by the network of buyers rather than sellers.
• This tactic, seen in 2024 with incidents involving Ticketmaster and IntelBroker, could lead to an overall rise in data breaches.
• However, DuckDuckGo doesn’t index dark web content — it only accesses surface and deep web sites through Tor.
• This structural change is reflected in the median net income of sellers and buyers, as shown in Fig.
• Dark web marketplaces expose users to multiple layers of risk that extend beyond financial loss and affect legal standing, personal safety, and long-term consequences.

In particular, we analyse networks of ‘multihomers’, defined as users that are simultaneously trading in multiple markets. We show that these users play a crucial role in the connectivity of the ecosystem because they act as connectors between markets. Analogously, we identify and characterise ‘multisellers’ (i.e., multihomers that are sellers) and ‘multibuyers’ (i.e., multihomers that are buyers). Furthermore, we analyse the seller-to-seller (S2S) network, i.e., the network composed only of transactions among sellers, which can be regarded as a supply chain network of illicit goods and services. We highlight that these networks exhibit different resilience regimes in the presence of external shocks, the ecosystem’s resilience being mostly guaranteed by the network of buyers rather than sellers. You face significant risks when using dark markets, including scams where vendors take payment without delivering goods.

The Significance of This Data

On the dark web, traffic is routed through multiple server nodes that don’t log activity, obscuring the user’s origin and enabling anonymous communication. Lawmakers and platforms alike will need to decide what responsibility they’re willing to accept. TRM Labs reported that TRON accounted for 58% of illicit crypto activity in 2024, followed by Ethereum at 24% and Bitcoin at 12%. The TRM Labs report also revealed that crypto use in vendor shop drug sales more than doubled in 2024, reaching over $600 million in volume. By utilizing crypto transactions, these cartels can efficiently fund and facilitate the production of fentanyl, which is then trafficked into the United States, contributing to the ongoing opioid crisis. Chainalysis had previously identified over $37.8 million in suspicious transfers involving suspected China-based chemical vendors.

A Chainalysis report finds that there are fewer darknet markets—but they’re growing in revenue.

This further complicates monitoring efforts because now you need to search for the related Telegram channels and track activity there and on the marketplace itself. Track and analyze darknet activities using our advanced cyber threat intelligence platform to stay ahead of emerging threats. An award-winning cybercrime threat intelligence firm, KELA’s mission is to provide 100% real, actionable intelligence on threats emerging from the cybercrime underground, to support the prevention of digital crimes. A Canadian market established in 2021, WTN offers over 9,000 products, including narcotics, fake goods, and digital services. It operates in both French and English and has built a reputation for ease-of-use.

North Korea Hacks Crypto: More Targets, Lower Gains

The hidden part of the internet is the larger portion that features over 95% of the entire internet. This is the part of the internet known as the dark web, and it’s accessible via mainstream search engines such as Google. Discover everything about what is a darknet market, how it works, security threats related to it, and learn how to protect your data online. It added that many fraud shops are increasingly offering third-party crypto-payment processors like UAPS via API calls, as a way to reduce their own costs, improve operational efficiency and increase security. Layer a VPN (e.g., NordVPN) to mask your IP before entering darknet markets. A timeline of darknet marketplace evolution, from Silk Road to 2025’s top players.

• The market accepts Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum as payment methods, catering to a wide range of users.
• And while the number of markets appears to be on the decline, those that remain are making more money than ever before.
• In the first 24 hours of launching Check your hack, two million people took advantage of the service.
• Also, it should be common knowledge not to share personal information online.
• Some things, like medical records, driver’s licenses, and passport information.
• This suggests that sellers with more diverse sources of income, such as multisellers and market-U2U sellers, are able to produce a higher income.

Types of Illicit Goods and Services

Then, during 2017 and 2018, it shows the structural change due to operation Bayonet, when it shrinks. However, unlike the multiseller network, the S2S network recovers during 2019 and 2020, but slower than the multibuyer network recovery. Therefore, the S2S network appears to be more resilient than the multiseller network but less than the multibuyer network. The same pattern is observed in the whole S2S network (see Supplementary Information Section S5).

Data availability

Unlike legal platforms, they have no stable protections or long-term security guarantees. These platforms are organized like common shopping websites, with product listings, prices, and seller profiles. Buyers often rely on reviews to choose vendors, even though no real identity checks or legal protections exist.

Crypto Compliance

In total, darknet markets and fraud shops received $1.7 billion last year, a rebound from 2022 — the year that saw the sizable Hydra Marketplace close. The ensuing war for darknet market dominance that began in 2022 continued into 2023, but no other market has since matched Hydra’s financial success. The first thing on the minds of many users when it comes to the dark web environment is illegal drugs. In fact, the Guardian referred to darknet markets as “the eBay of drug dealing,” and rightly so, illegal drugs are found in almost all the shops on the dark web. “Over the years some markets … developed a robust catalog of illicit services like money laundering, fiat offramping, and products that enable cyber-criminal activities like ransomware and malware attacks. One such sophisticated darknet market, Hydra, offered all that and more,” Chainalysis explained.

Essential Privacy Tools

As law enforcement agencies’ tactics improve, some markets respond by introducing more security features, like mandatory encryption or invite-only access. But no matter how polished or professional these sites seem, the risk of getting scammed — or tracked — is always high. During the second half of 2022, law enforcement cracked down on a large number of darknet markets, temporarily disrupting the supply of such illicit goods.

• Since 2020, 2easy has sold massive stealer logs with sensitive data like passwords, bank cards, and initial access credentials.
• It contains a good selection of product listings that range over 35,000 items.
• Established in 2022, BidenCash is known for trading personal identifiable information (PII) and engaging in fraud-related activities.
• The U2U-only category is comparatively small, representing only 6% of all buyers on average.
• These addresses cannot be resolved by conventional DNS servers, contributing to the hidden nature of darknets.
• Examples include the sale of high-quality products with low risk for contamination (including lacing and cutting), vendor-tested products, sharing of trip reports, and online discussion of harm reduction practices.
• The top performers in darknet marketplaces for 2025, excelling in trade volume, vendor ratings, and market influence.
• Darknet markets are online platforms for the anonymous buying and selling of illegal goods and services.

Drugs

Dark web markets have exploded in scale and reach in 2025, becoming the most dangerous hubs for trading drugs, stolen data, and hacking tools. These anonymous marketplaces—operating mainly on the Tor network—are now a primary threat vector for businesses and cybersecurity professionals. It offers access to hacked bank accounts, credit card data, and cryptocurrency laundering tools. Transactions can be made using Bitcoin or Monero, and the platform keeps users in the loop through an official Telegram channel. It also requires users to verify their identity carefully to build trust with buyers focused on fraud.

Notes from the Dark Web: Analyzing Ukraine-Related Chatter in Key Forums

The rise of decentralized alternatives and the integral role of cryptocurrencies highlight the ongoing quest for anonymity and security in these hidden marketplaces. One of the most significant threats is the prevalence of fraudulent services, including fake vendor shops, unreliable gun stores, and fake assassination websites. Exit scams are another common issue, where vendors disappear with users’ funds, leaving customers unable to recover their investments. Vendors may also choose to exit with their escrowed funds to avoid competition at a higher volume and price level.

Launched in 2020, Cypher Marketplace sells fraudulent documents, stolen credit cards, fake IDs, and malware. Its emphasis on user anonymity and document forgery makes it a core tool for identity fraud. Founded in 2014, BriansClub remains one of the oldest and most infamous dark web markets for stolen credit cards, fullz (complete identity kits), and dumps. 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.

Russian Market has consistently remained one of the most popular and valuable data stores on the dark web. The platform’s activity has increased significantly over the past year, indicating its growing influence and market share in the underground economy. Due to its extensive inventory and reputation for reliability, Brian’s Club has maintained a significant presence on the dark web. Quality and validity of the data it provides justify its higher cost over other marketplaces. The platform’s popularity continues to grow, attracting both new and returning customers. Although some of these markets prohibit certain extreme content such as violence or exploitation, most operate with very few rules beyond ensuring the security and anonymity of their users.

According to Chainalysis’ 2025 Crypto Crime Report, darknet market (DNM) vendors are adapting their money laundering tactics. While centralized exchanges (CEXs) remain the dominant cash-out method, a notable shift has been toward decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. The horizontal bars represent each market lifetime, i.e., the time when the market becomes active until its closure, and is colored according to the market’s monthly trading volume in USD.

Torrez Market

With Abacus’s departure, remaining platforms such as DrugHub, TorZon Market, and MGM Grand face increased pressure to absorb displaced users while navigating the same risks that led to their predecessor’s downfall. The platform’s success was reflected in its growing market dominance, rising from 10% market share in 2022 to over 70% in 2024. Welcome to this collection of darknet resources, curated exclusively for educational and informational purposes. This repository serves as a knowledge hub for individuals interested in understanding the structure, functionalities, and applications of the darknet.

In the first 24 hours of launching Check your hack, two million people took advantage of the service. So far, five million people have used the tool, and over 13,000 victims have been notified that their computer was infected, and received instructions to help them make their device safe again. Indeed, one of the most recent darknet market busts was the Nemesis online market.

All news, reviews, and analysis are produced with full journalistic independence and integrity. For more details on our standards and processes, please read our Editorial Policy. The Chainalysis report estimates that romance scams have the “worst impact on victims of all scam types” due to the average payment size.