Most of us have heard of the Dark Web mentioned in some form or another. It is an ominous and elusive word. Have you heard of the Deep Web? Or even the Surface Web? What do all these words mean and what do you need to know? What do you need to be aware of and look out for? We are going to take a look into those questions in today’s blog.
Let’s start with at the beginning.
What is the Surface Web?
This refers to the parts of the web that everyone is familiar with. The Surface Web is anything that can be indexed by a typical search engine like Google or Yahoo. When you search for your favorite website, news outlet, sports statistics, etc you are using the Surface Web.
What is the Deep Web?
The Deep Web and the Dark Web are not synonymous. The Deep Web refers to any part of the Internet that isn’t discoverable by a search engine. This does not make it inherently suspicious. One Example of the Deep Web is logging into Internet banking. At this point you have navigated to a specific location online, but not necessarily one you could run a Google search for. Other examples of the Deep Web would be webmail services and academic databases for school.
It is estimated that the Deep Web is approximately 400-500 times the size of the Surface Web.
What is the Dark Web?
The Dark Web is the where you will find marketplaces that deal in illicit activity and wares. If you imagine an iceberg, the Surface Web is what you see above the water, the Deep Web is the iceberg below the water, and the Dark Web is the deepest part beneath it. The Dark Web is classified as intentionally hidden and inaccessible through standard web browsers. The content exists on an encrypted network and needs a special browser to access its contents.
Why would someone use the Dark Web?
There are legitimate uses for the Dark Web as well as people using it for illegal activity. Many people use the Dark Web to buy recreational drugs, illicit wares, and many more activities.
One popular use for the Dark Web is for hackers who have stolen information from users on the Internet. These hackers then sell your information to the highest bidder who then has access to your personal information, passwords, logins, etc.
It does make law enforcement’s jobs much harder, but they do a good job of cracking down on illegal sites, their creators, and the people who use them. Whatever you are using the Dark Web for, proceed with caution on the links your click as to not find yourself in a place you don’t want to be.
We offer services to our clients to monitor the Dark Web for your information. If you are interested in these services please contact us.