I mean, it’s called the dark web for a reason, but most of us probably couldn’t predict some of the darkest things a hacker with 30 years’ experience has seen on it.
Using complex systems that anonymize a user’s true IP address, the dark web has been perfected as the online black market for illegal activity to take place.
It’s no surprise there’s a fair bit on there you probably don’t actually want to ever see and rather than letting curiosity get the better of you, a hacker with over 30 years’ experience has since opened up about the scariest things he’s seen listed on there – so you don’t have to risk checking yourself.
You’ve likely already heard of the case of Chloe Ayling, who was kidnapped and put up for sale on the dark web, however, alongside people being kidnapped and listed for money, ransomware attack groups also use the dark web to exploit personal data and blackmail people for money in exchange for not releasing the information.
Speaking to VICE, an anonymous hacker with 30 years experience explained he’d once been a ‘black hat’ hacker – meaning he wasn’t bound by any kind of ethical code and most likely had malicious motivations – however, he later became a ‘white hat’ – people who see themselves as an ethical security hacker.
Explaining his role, he told the publication he now does things such as ‘hunt the criminals who are targeting hospitals or who are targeting the businesses that I’m looking out for’.
Recalling some of the most concerning things he’s seen, the man shared: “I’ve watched hospitals get encrypted. People are left with a choice: do I pay to decrypt the data or risk lives?”
Speaking in 2021, ransomware appeared to be the guy’s largest concern as he shared that there had been an ‘significant increase’ due to its profitability.
Going on to discuss some of the ‘high stakes games’ on the dark web, he explained that ransomware can be used on a national scale.
“You have national state actors who are doing what they need to do because the nation state that they’re employed by wants them to do it,” he said.
“There are financially motivated criminals who are looking for whatever way they can cash out, [and] there are some people who just want to see the world burn.
“Those are destructive hackers who will just go after systems because they just want to cause disruption.”
He added: “Every single country has reason to weaponize these kind of attacks. […] It’s the perfect form of asymmetric warfare.”
The anonymous man further claimed that he’d seen ‘pretty much all western governments’ going to the white hat hackers community for help.
