The internet is a tremendous boon and has revolutionized the way we live our lives. With it’s vast benefits also comes a flipside that is rife with illegal and dangerous websites, products and activities, the dark net. The dark net has gained popularity among the brave and adventurous as a place for all kinds of notoriety.
For the uninitiated, the dark net is a part of the internet famous for infamous activities and scams. As websites in the dark net cannot be indexed or crawled by regular search engines like Google, they are a hub for cyber-terrorism and various illegal activities. Accessing the dark net itself is no ordinary feat. It requires a specialised browser like Tor, and a whole lot of guts, might we add! If you’re tempted to toe the line into this dark territory, here are five reasons we strongly advise you to steer clear:
Malicious Links That Damage Your Computer
Seemingly harmless links on the dark net for gaming, shopping or content can actually cause tremendous harm to your computer software. From wiping away data to corrupting your device and rendering it useless, websites in the dark net are notorious for the damage they cause. These websites may request access to your computer to download a file or to run their webpage, and consenting to the same is inviting trouble, to put it simply. According to a study, 56% of access requested by malware links is through the web shell protocol. Others include secure shell and file transfers among others.
Phishing Scams
Phishing is a fairly strong threat in the monitored part of the internet itself. Now, imagine how large a threat it can be from websites that aren’t even indexed or monitored! The dark net is filled with scammers who pretend to sell products or services, while what they are actually after is your credit/debit card information. The latest trend of buying a dark web mystery box as an element of surprise has resulted in people falling prey to phishing like never before!
Exit Scams
Known to sell products that are illegal or not easily available in the open market, the dark net poses many fake websites or sellers that rob prospective buyers of their money. Sellers pose products with no intention to sell, shutting their website in minutes when enough people have been duped. As most of the products sold are illegal or payments are made through bitcoins, there are little or no redressal options for those cheated.
Cyber-Terrorism
The darknet is the dirty underbelly of all kinds of terrorism. It’s network is used to find, train and hire potential terrorists. Many global terrorist organisations operate dark net webpages to execute their operations. Stumbling upon them even accidentally can earmark your IP address on the radar.
From a cyber-crime perspective, many large rackets and nexus operate through the dark net. Identity theft, morphing videos, personal data theft and selling stolen products are just some of the activities you are certain to find in this dark underbelly of the internet. One click on these websites and you have caused enough damage to your reputation.
Illegal Pornography
The dark net is rife with chat rooms that try to sell live pornography. Curious buyers pay money to view these illegal videos, only to be shown a black screen. Child pornography and other forms of sexual abuse are some of the most commonly sold illegal videos on the darknet. Even landing up on such pages by accident can put you on the watchlist of the cyber police.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. The dark net has layers of illegality and undesirable content that can prove to be unimaginably risky. This sinister side of the internet is best avoided.
