My 30-Day Journey on a Dark Web Marketplace That Belonged to a Cyber Gang

Too Long; Didn’t Read

Once I completed the sign-up portion, I was able to sign in and was greeted with the homepage of the marketplace. The website appeared and functioned like any other website but, of course, there were some major differences. The first section was called the “Shoutbox.” The Shoutbox’s purpose is a chat function for members and guests to talk about anything. I mean…anything.

I saw chats that included exploits, zero days, data breaches, upcoming breaches, and questions about hacking and hacking tools. I also saw chats that pertained to personal struggles and growth and questions about ideology and world news. It was an alternate universe to the everyday business world that we live in today.