Dark Web mutates to social networks

Misleading offers reach Telegram users daily.

Years ago, illegal services and smuggling on the web were carried out in a hidden and almost untraceable way within the internet.

Users who frequently visited these portals knew how to take advantage of the anonymity offered by these websites. They often managed to evade the authorities.

However, years later, the Dark Web would undergo changes. The company recognized for the detection of illicit activities online, ESET, has published an analysis of how illicit services and products are promoted within social networks.

Within these communities, illegal markets are constantly open, leaving authorities with only the ability to monitor.

After the closure of anonymous and low-profile portals such as “Silk Road” or “AlphaBay”, the attraction of customers to the Dark Web has been minimized. This has led criminal organizations to look for alternative markets to get more clients.

In addition, with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, new doors were opened for criminal activity, from teleworking and all the digital security risk that it entails.

Restricting access to places has led people to spend more time online, increasing the chances of encountering criminal offers.

In the last decade, new social networks were created. Through them, criminal groups have begun to use it to carry out their crimes. Telegram is the most outstanding example.

Telegram is a free, cloud-based and open source messaging application. This built consumer confidence as they offered end-to-end encrypted calls and messaging. In this way, ISPs and third parties cannot access consumer data.

Telegram caught the attention of criminals who take advantage of these security guarantees. For this reason, they began to offer everything from fake money, drugs, stolen credit cards and personal data, to contract killers.

The most popular at the moment is the offer of false health passports and forged COVID-19 vaccination certificates and travel permits, each of these services costing almost 300 dollars.

The head of the ESET Research Laboratory in Latin America, Camilo Gutiérrez, indicates that access to these groups within Telegram is within the reach of a few clicks.