Darkweb entrapment Darkweb entrapment is an online marketing process that uses a variety of tactics and traps to defraud people. It involves making online acquaintances to gain trust and a sense of belonging, then betraying their trust for personal gain, with some targets being completely unaware of the ruse. This process uses the tools of web 2.0 social networks, as well as email and instant messaging. The first known darkweb trap used to defraud people appeared in 2001, as the FBI found out when they used informants to infiltrate underground cybercrime forums. A user would claim to be trapped in some darkweb situation and ask for assistance. Victims would then fall for the scam by sharing their passwords, files, and other data over the Internet in order to help their trapped friend. Darkweb entrapment uses this method, having the target send them their personal information and asking them to help them escape a darkweb situation, giving the cybercriminal access to the information and the access to the network. When performing darkweb entrapment, the cybercriminals will attempt to manipulate the victim by claiming to have access to a child pornography ring, military-grade encryption, or any other "trickster" scenario that would convince the victim to release sensitive information to help them escape the entrapment. Tox Darkweb entrapment can be performed on a wide range of social networks. For example, one group of darkweb entrapment victims were targeted on a chatroom where users were encouraged to share personal information with one another, giving the perpetrators access to sensitive information. Another technique used on the darkweb entrapment forum was to make users read articles which appeared to be from a legitimate news website but actually used modified pictures with malicious links embedded. Users who are targeted on the darkweb entrapment forums can lose a wide variety of personal information including bank and credit card account numbers, email addresses, login information, or even their entire identity. The criminals will keep the information for a few weeks or even a month, then sell the personal information back to the buyer. Although the information is sold for a minimal price, the buyer typically purchases the data in large quantities to make up for the "small fee" they paid. Other blackmail victims are asked to pay a hefty price to have the stolen information "taken care of", giving them no recourse but to pay up. The Darknet Markets Many of the darkweb markets are based on Silk Road 2.0. Silk Road was an anonymous marketplace that allowed users to sell and buy items anonymously online using Bitcoin currency. The Darknet markets have the same structure as Silk Road, but operate on darkweb instead of the Internet. In a study published by the International Journal of Communication (volume 5, number 2, April 2012), researchers found that the online markets are used to market a variety of illegal items and services such as child pornography, illegal drugs, and hitmen. The marketplace is often used for darkweb entrapment, as the victims are often asked to send their financial details or other personal information that the seller can then use for future schemes. Many buyers and sellers on the darkweb use hidden services such as Tor that allow them to communicate securely, and to not share their identity with other people online. An example of a darkweb entrapment that occurred on Tor involves a pedophile selling pictures of child pornography. He would attempt to entice the customer with a "gift", which was actually a piece of malware that would infect the computer and allow the cybercriminals to steal private and sensitive data. References Category:Dark web Category:Fraud Category:Social engineering (computer security) Category:Cryptographic attacks Category:Web_vulnerabilities Category:Identity theft Category:Social networks for cybercrime Category:Social_networking_websites es:Trojan horse#Trojaner de la Darknet ru:Шпионаж по Торе#Шпионаж по Тору