It has gained a lot of users and has become a popular marketplace due to its focus on security. Buyers can purchase a range of digital goods and services, which include illicit drugs, software and malware, and services related to fraud. The marketplace has over 8,400 listings and 500 vendors who communicate in English and accept Bitcoin for transactions.
Cyble TIP Threat Intel
In Grand Theft Auto Online, players who purchase warehouses and garages for illicit cargo and stolen cars can buy/steal and sell them through trade on the “SecuroServ” syndicate website. After the Biker DLC, players can now purchase buildings for illegal drugs and counterfeit products manufacture, and distribute them through a darknet website called “The Open Road” where law enforcement cannot be notified of the player’s trade. Abacus Market shines with 35,000+ listings and a monthly volume of $5M, commanding an 8% share of the darknet drug trade. Launched in 2022, it has quickly risen thanks to its encryption standards and user-friendly interface, serving 15,000+ users and 1,200+ vendors. Drughub Market specializes in pharmaceuticals, offering 15,000+ listings and $2 million monthly via BTC. With 8,000+ users and 600+ vendors, it commands a 10% share of darknet drug trades—a rising star since 2023.
Torzon Market
The months and years after Silk Road’s closure were marked by a greatly increased number of shorter-lived markets as well as semi-regular law enforcement takedowns, hacks, scams and voluntary closures. Compare leading cryptomarkets based on ratings, listing counts, supported cryptocurrencies, monthly volumes, and user bases as of February 2025. Vice City Market offers 18,000+ listings with a 5% share and $2.5M monthly turnover. ASAP Market delivers 25,000+ listings with a 7% share and $4M monthly turnover, supporting BTC, XMR, LTC, and USDT.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Dark Web Marketplaces
Use of bitcoin as a form of payment doubled in 2018 on darknet The dip was attributable to the closure of major markets AlphaBay and. Specialist for AlphaBay, which authorities have said was the world’s leading “darknet” darknet market noobs bible marketplace when an international law enforcement. The law enforcement may have shut down AlphaBay Market, but the darknet drug markets are alive and even booming in the very same niche. Had orchestrated a massive bust that shut down AlphaBay, the dark web’s largest marketplace for drugs and other illegal goods. In July 2017, international law enforcement, led by the FBI and DEA, launched an extensive operation to take down AlphaBay. Cazes, the platform’s creator, was arrested in Thailand, where he later died in custody under suspicious circumstances.
Alphabay Darknet Market
But he sees it as a way to both make AlphaBay invulnerable to future law enforcement takedowns and to pay back the dark web’s users for the millions they lost when the original AlphaBay server was seized. “When it comes to the money making this is investment in the future of AlphaBay,” DeSnake writes. “When it comes to ideology I think that is pretty clear. The reason is to make good to the AlphaBay name … this is our way to reimburse the darknet scene for what has happened.” As DeSnake describes it, AlphaGuard will automatically rent and set up new servers if it detects that AlphaBay’s are being taken offline. He even claims that AlphaGuard will automatically hack other websites and plant data on their servers to give users “withdrawal codes” they can use to save the cryptocurrency they’ve stored on AlphaBay in case of a takedown. “It is a system to ensure users can withdraw funds, settle disputes, and generally go without a cent lost if raids happen,” DeSnake writes, “even if it happens on all servers at the same time. It is unstoppable.”
- There were also at least half a dozen moderators that helped administer the market and its discussion forum, moderated disputes between buyers and vendors, and promoted the market on Reddit (prior to the shutdown of the DNM subreddit).
- Ever since AlphaBay went offline earlier in July, users of the site had discussed potential alternative dark web marketplaces on online forums.
- Existing competitors attempted to fill the void, but many were unstable, leading to scams and disputes as users scrambled to find new avenues for illicit trade.
- Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Georgia identified an AlphaBay staffer living in the United States.
- He claims, in fact, not to store any incriminating data on hard drives or USB drives at all, encrypted or not, and declined to explain further how he pulls off this apparent magic trick.
- With 25,000+ users and 3,000+ vendors, it’s the gold standard for escrow security and scale.
See Why DarkOwl Is The Leader In Darknet Data
The authorities were not the only ones to identify and/or attempt to uncover the key players (aka staff) at AlphaBay Market. In the spring of 2017, the Alpha Organization paid an extortionist threatening to dox alpha02 and a couple of his moderators at least $45,000 USD, although the veracity of the information the extortionist had has not been verified. There were also at least half a dozen moderators that helped administer the market and its discussion forum, moderated disputes between buyers and vendors, and promoted the market on Reddit (prior to the shutdown of the DNM subreddit).
WizardShop has solidified its status as one of the best data stores in the dark web by providing an impressive quantity of quality data as well as providing a trustworthy, easy to use interface allowing criminals easy and secure buying and selling. Established in 2022, Torzon market is one of the biggest and most diverse marketplaces on the dark web. It is considered very secure thanks to strict user validations and transparent payment and vendor review procedures.
Top 10 Darknet Markets Of 2025
Some markets are invite-only or have strict registration rules to keep out scammers and law enforcement. It’s been a constant back-and-forth between cybercriminals and law enforcement, with each new site trying to be smarter and more secure than the last. “With all of that said you decide for yourself whether you ride the wave with us to the top and beyond,” he wrote in a message to users on the dark web market forum Dread. “I understand if you decide not to but over time you will be proven that we are the original AB and we have never been ‘compromised’ in any way shape or form.” Gray points to a thread on the largely Russian cybercrime forum XSS, where many commenters expressed their skepticism about DeSnake’s return, some implying that he’s being controlled by law enforcement.
Shuttered Dark Web Marketplaces
However, businesses remain prime targets for data breaches, ransomware, and account takeovers. Despite the crackdown on AlphaBay, cybercriminals still use these dark web marketplaces to buy and sell stolen credentials, financial information, and hacking tools. Stolen credit card data, personal information, stolen and fraudulent identification documents were frequently traded on the platform.
A kind of practical paranoia permeated DeSnake’s messages to WIRED, both on a personal level and in his plans for AlphaBay’s revamped technical protections. AlphaBay’s dark web site is now accessible not only via Tor, like the original AlphaBay, but also I2P, a less popular anonymity system that DeSnake encourages users to switch to. He repeatedly described his wariness that Tor may be vulnerable to surveillance, though he provided no evidence. In addition to goods, AlphaBay also had sections dedicated to forums and discussions, enabling users to share knowledge and experiences. This engagement created a tight-knit community around the marketplace, enhancing trust.
AlphaBay And Hansa Dark Web Markets Shut Down
- Access verified onion links, expert reviews, precise ratings, and current trends for key cryptomarkets such as Abacus, Alphabay, and Torrez.
- Alphabay rose to prominence with 400,000+ users and $600M yearly trades, ending in a 2017 bust.
- Like the historic AlphaBay, the market’s forum is located on the same domain as the market and has limited discussions.
- Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California filed a civil forfeiture complaint against Alexandre Cazes and his wife’s assets located throughout the world, including in Thailand, Cyprus, Lichtenstein, and Antigua & Barbuda.
In 2017, a coordinated effort, codenamed “Operation Bayonet” by the Dutch National Police, Europol, and the FBI, shut down the two dark web markets which together traded over 350,000 illicit commodities, ranging from opioids, ransomwares and money laundering. It became known as one of the most sophisticated takedown operations against cybercrime. “This is a landmark operation. AlphaBay was roughly 10 times the size of the Silk Road,” acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe said at the news conference, referring to the large anonymous marketplace whose founder was convicted of drug charges in 2015. “We’re talking about multiple servers in different countries, hundreds of millions of dollars in cryptocurrency and a darknet drug trade that spanned the globe.” The dark web, a subset of the deep web, operates on encrypted networks like Tor, requiring specialized tools for access.
The very first of these marketplaces to pair the darknet with Bitcoin was the Silk Road. Over the next two years, the Silk Road set the standard for darknet marketplaces. By the time it was shut down in October 2013 and Ross Ulbricht arrested, the site had traded an estimated $183 million worth of goods and services.
Service Shutdowns
The seizure of AlphaBay’s servers and assets marked a significant milestone in the ongoing battle against darknet marketplaces and the illegal activities they enable. Despite the takedown, new darknet markets continue to emerge and evolve, demonstrating the resilience of this underground ecosystem and the challenges that law enforcement agencies face in trying to dismantle them. According to publicly available information on AlphaBay prior to its takedown, one AlphaBay staff member claimed that it serviced over 200,000 users and 40,000 vendors. Comparatively, the Silk Road dark web marketplace, which was seized by law enforcement in November 2013, had reportedly approximately 14,000 listings for illicit goods and services at the time of seizure and was the largest dark web marketplace at the time.
Many are concerned about whether the next available platform will be compromised as well. That has them questioning Dream Market, a dark web marketplace that’s been in business since 2013 and benefitted from the shutdown of rivals. A government shutdown of dark web marketplaces AlphaBay and Hansa has merchants and consumers looking for a new home. No, black market websites operate illegally and pose high risks of scams, fraud, and law enforcement action. Believe it or not, some dark web marketplaces have pretty advanced systems for building trust.
