The Battle For Market Dominance, Post-Hydra Takedown
Understanding Law Enforcement Efforts Against Darknet Markets
It reflects the main information about data, including (1) document types, (2) document context, and (3) authors’ collaborations. When dark net markets are shut, their users typically move quickly to new markets. 1) Russian-language DNM vendors favour the dead-drop delivery model dubbed klad/клад (Russian for “treasure”), as opposed to the international mail delivery model adopted by western DNMs. This restricts the former to the geographic areas covered by the vendors and couriers.
Both Hydra itself and its vendors also offered money laundering services, including a tightly-controlled and regimented infrastructure allowing vendors and other cybercriminals to convert cryptocurrency into Russian rubles using a few pre-approved services. The takedown of the AlphaBay dark web market was credited to an FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency operation named Bayonet. Department of Justice, Attorney General Jeff Sessions called it “the largest takedown in world history.” Sessions highlighted the sale of illegal drugs on the site, noting AlphaBay housed “more than 40,000 illegal vendors … for more than 200,000 customers.”
The technology and network category includes trust factors regarding the user experience on websites and the smoothness of internet connections. The success of web markets is greatly facilitated by their well-designed and well-structured interface, since the persuasion of customers begins when they first visit the website. The structure and manageability of the website (Al-Dwairi, 2013) and the performance and stability of the market interface (Karimov & Brengman, 2014) both affect the purchasing process on surface web markets.
According to the indictment, vendors on Hydra could create accounts on the site to advertise their illegal products, and buyers could create accounts to view and purchase the vendors’ products. Hydra vendors offered a variety of illicit drugs for sale, including cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, heroin and other opioids. The vendors openly advertised their drugs on Hydra, typically including photographs and a description of the controlled substance.
While the biggest hurdle to operating a dark market was once the issue of gaining the trust of vendors and customers to use your site, the barrage of seizures and exits leaves many bouncing to and from one dark market to the next. The closure of AlphaBay created a gap for other eBay-style underworld marketplaces. Hansa, an online darknet market that operated as a hidden service of the Tor network, seemed poised to fill it. And just like their real-world counterparts, law enforcement action is also a hazard for the operators of darknet cybercrime bazaars.
However, by late August 2020 the dark market pivoted and exit scammed—a scheme where a dark market or fraudulent exchange ceases operation and steals all the funds in escrow and account wallets. An exiting market will either abruptly shut down or remain online with escrow payouts and withdrawals disabled, but deposits still enabled, allowing the scammers to net more funds until users catch on. The current study aims to rank the importance of trust factors affecting the risk perception of potential darknet market customers through an online survey to lay the foundations for crime prevention strategies. While prevention should target potential customers, survey research involving the users of darknet markets usually ends up being small-scale (Bergeron et al., 2022b; Karden & Strizek, 2022). To overcome this issue, we selected a population whose members have characteristics that help them place themselves in fictitious purchasing situations on the darknet. This projective (third-person) technique can help when respondents do not want to reveal their real attitudes about something (Kumar et al., 2018) and has already been applied in cyber criminology (Parti et al., 2018).
The existence of darknet markets has raised significant concerns for law enforcement around the globe. As these platforms facilitate illegal activities, a critical question arises: how many police agencies are going after darknet markets? This article delves into the scope of law enforcement activities targeting these clandestine online platforms.
For example, during the Russian-Ukraine conflict, citizens used dark web versions of social media to share information when traditional access was blocked. There are any number of organized law enforcement operations on-going in the darknet and adjacent criminal communities. Many times, the seizures of servers hosting and facilitating cybercrime are a result of a multi-agency activity months (or years) in the making. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cyber Crime Unit (FBI) and Interpol lead many of the operations that result in not only the take-down of criminal sites, but also the indictments and arrests of the criminal masterminds behind the darknet community. The dark web’s anonymity not only encourages illegal activities, it keeps many law enforcement agencies largely unaware of its existence, even while their jurisdictions are impacted by online transactional crimes. Credentials of many online services which include banking, telco, social media networks and many more are being listen in the darknet markets.
The Global Landscape of Law Enforcement
Numerous police agencies across various countries are involved in combating the challenges posed by darknet markets. These agencies include:
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – United States
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – United States
- European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) – European Union
- Australian Federal Police (AFP) – Australia
- National Crime Agency (NCA) – United Kingdom
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) – Canada
These agencies often collaborate on international operations, sharing resources and intelligence to take down major darknet market operations.
Methods Employed by Law Enforcement
Law enforcement agencies utilize a variety of methods to investigate and dismantle darknet markets:
- Undercover Operations – Authorities often conduct undercover purchases within these markets to gather intelligence and evidence.
- Cyber Surveillance – Tracking and analyzing online behavior helps trace vendors and buyers.
- Partnerships with Tech Companies – Collaborating with technology firms allows for enhanced monitoring and reporting of illicit activities.
- Global Collaboration – Agencies coordinate with international partners to address the transnational nature of these crimes.
Recent Case Studies
Several notable successes exemplify the ongoing effort against darknet markets:
- Operation Disruptor – In 2020, an extensive operation involving multiple U.S. and international agencies resulted in over 170 arrests and the seizure of millions in cryptocurrency.
- Shut Down of Silk Road 2.0 – This infamous darknet market was taken down by law enforcement after extensive investigation, leading to significant arrests in 2014.
Challenges Faced by Law Enforcement
- Alexandre Cazes was due to be extradited to the US on charges of racketeering, narcotics distribution, identity theft, transfer of false identification documents, device fraud, trafficking in device making equipment, and money laundering, according to the Justice Department.
- The US Treasury Department, in a statement announcing sanctions against the market, called it “one of the most prominent brokers of stolen credentials and other sensitive information”.
- Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation security platform provides a holistic solution to protect the digital way of life by safely enabling applications and preventing known and unknown threats across the network, cloud and endpoints.
- While not the biggest dark web marketplace for hackers, it’s still not a bad idea to monitor this site due to its continued growth.
- Others like Agora and Evolution filled the vacuum left by Silk Road after it was shut down through the efforts of the U.S. government, though since then, these have also been shuttered.
Despite their efforts, law enforcement agencies face numerous challenges in combating darknet markets:
- Anonymity – The use of cryptocurrencies and encryption technology obfuscates identities, making it difficult to track offenders.
- Rapid Market Evolution – As agencies shut down one market, new ones quickly emerge, often with improved security features.
- Decentralized Nature – The global and decentralized characteristics of the darknet complicate jurisdictional issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How many agencies specifically focus on darknet markets?
A: It varies by region, but numerous national and international agencies are dedicated to tackling these issues, each contributing to a broader fight against darknet activities.
Q: What role do international partnerships play?
A: International collaborations are crucial for sharing intelligence and resources, which enhances the effectiveness of operations targeting darknet markets.
Q: Are darknet markets continuously evolving?
A: Yes, darknet markets are known for their rapid evolution, creating challenges for law enforcement in tracking and dismantling them.
Q: Can law enforcement effectively combat these markets?
A: While progress has been made, the sheer volume and anonymity of these markets create ongoing challenges, necessitating continuous adaptation of strategies.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the question of how many police agencies are going after darknet markets leads to the realization that a concerted global effort is underway. Various law enforcement agencies are dedicated to dismantling these illegal platforms. However, due to the challenges posed by anonymity and the rapid evolution of the darknet, these efforts will require sustained focus and collaboration to be truly effective.
