When you hear the term 'dark web,' a hacker in a hoodie, digital drug deals and hitmen for hire are probably what come to mind.
Usually, our imaginations cook up scenarios that are a lot more dramatic than reality. But when it comes to this hidden corner of the internet that can only be reached using special software, it's pretty spot on.
The sites we all visit every day are just the tip of the iceberg in the digital world.
Beneath the surface is a hidden layer that goes un-indexed by search engines - it's called the deep web.
That's everything inaccessible to the public for 비아그라추천사이트 safety, security and privacy reasons. The deep web includes your personal bank account pages, medical records, company databases, cloud storage accounts, private blogs, social media pages, forums that require a login and a lot more.
Then there's the dark web, a corner of the deep web that requires advanced tools just to enter.
So, in the name of journalism, I fired up one of those specialized programs and went digging into the online underbelly.
What I found was shocking, and touched on every aspect of criminal behavior throughout the world.
The sites you visit every day are the tip of the iceberg in the digital world. The dark web can only be accessed using specialized software
Although it has a radioactive reputation, there are legitimate and perfectly legal uses for the dark web.
You can use it to covertly contact journalists if you're in an unsafe situation, and whistleblowers often turn to the network to get their messages out.
Then there are the shadier parts: hacking forums, illegal marketplaces and all manner of perverse content.
The dark web is filled with malware and scams, but law enforcement is there, too, watching for illegal activity.
Simply put, if you don't know what you're doing, stay off the dark web.
What I discovered in my brief time on the network was disturbing. I saw that it puts all the tools for death and destruction within arm's reach of anyone with the technical skills to try and obtain them.
One of those ultradark corners was devoted to the distribution of material involving child sexual abuse and pornography.
Sadly, I found this type of illegal content to be fairly easy to track down once you enter into the dark web.
Though, it isn't limited to children. Images of naked people (mostly women) are everywhere - with celebrities being one of the big draws for those willing to pay.
But not everything is real and stolen from the celeb's phone. Some scammers put together deepfake images used to con people out of their money.
One video posted to the dark web appeared to resemble YouTuber MrBeast, aka Jimmy Donaldson, and promised the first 10,000 buyers a free iPhone.
Another easily-accessible realm on the dark web was the market for illegal guns and weapon accoutrements.
Despite being heavily restricted by federal and state gun laws in the US, sites on the dark web were regularly peddling assault rifles, illegal personal defense weapons and accessories for both.
The sites even use the same tricks regular websites use to encourage sales, including star ratings, promoting a limited number left in stock, providing detailed specs and using flowery marketing language.
The dark web also gives users access to both pharmaceutical drugs as well as deadly poisons that kill within minutes
However, these sites open the market to criminals and dangerous individuals worldwide.
Even more alarming, dark web marketplaces appear to be completely ready to make sure their merchandise ends up in the hands of their clients without police interference - many items offered specialty shipping.
My search also uncovered an endless number of drug marketplaces - some run by the government and others run by scammers who would happily take your money and send either nothing or potentially-lethal narcotics.
From Viagra to illegal substances like ecstasy or MDMA, the dark web makes it possible to search for any kind of controlled substance without needing a prescription.
Shockingly, that also included poisons. Selling for thousands of dollars per unit, dark web users have access to lethal substances like ricin and potassium cyanide.
For those who don't wish to commit a crime on their own, I found hitmen services for hire in corners of the dark web that were even more difficult to find.
One site in particular had a list of rates posted for arson ($10,000 to $20,000), assassination ($10,000 to $50,000), assault ($1,000 to $5,000) and kidnapping ($15,000 to $25,000).
For those looking to cause personal and financial mayhem, the dark web is never in short supply of hackers willing to go after people and institutions online.
Some providers even brag that they've been around since 2007 and are still improving their skills in 2025.
All sort of illegal content is available on the dark web, including the services of hitmen willing to commit violent crimes for a fee
Hackers offer all sorts of criminal services on the dark web, including stealing passwords and starting website attacks that crash networks
Hackers contracted on the dark web say they can break into servers, computers or smartphones.
During my visit, I saw dark web hackers offering everything from stealing a person's password for a few hundred dollars to digitally spying on a spouse suspected of cheating for over $1,000.
Hackers like this regularly deal in Bitcoin or Monero, an untraceable cryptocurrency popular for dark web transactions and shady deals.
When it comes to money, there's no shortage of hacked financial records available for sale online.
I saw ads for CVV dumps (that's the three-digit code on the back of your credit card), hacked Western Union accounts, PayPal logins and Cash App credentials.
One site was selling hacked Bitcoin wallets at huge discounts, sometimes for just a fraction of a percent compared to what the digital currency is actually worth.
There are even places on the dark web selling counterfeit paper cash.
They claimed, 'All bills are genuine and ready for any use. You can exchange them, spend money in store, deposit on your card through an ATM.'
iPhoneMrBeast
