Annual illicit drug sales on the dark web will exceed $470 million in 2022. re-security.
This report focuses on the growth of the shadow economy and new communication methods used by criminals, including the launch of their own Android-based mobile apps and an underground marketplace called Kraken.
More specifically, the new report states that Remove Hydra Marketplace According to an April 2022 German Federal Criminal Police Service report, at least 10 darknet markets have sprung up to fill local voids for drugs and other illicit goods.
Among them is the aforementioned Kraken, which according to Resecurity has already amassed over 1720 reputable sellers and shops selling illegal goods.
We observed that most of the other underground marketplaces surveyed in the report were primarily fighting for brand recognition.
“[We] It details the growing tensions between various influential groups behind illicit marketplaces on the dark web, attacking each other, carrying out DDoS attacks, and exploiting the reputations of their competitors. We are looking to capture a larger market share,” the company said. Information security Email report summary.
These cyber warfare have caused some actors to move from the closed Hydra to new markets and begin leveraging alternative digital channels such as customized mobile apps and instant messengers. telegram.
“The dark web drug-selling ecosystem poses a threat internationally. [with] Several epicenters are concentrated mainly in Eurasia and Central Asia, where they are actively used for drug trafficking,” said Resecurity.
Cybersecurity teams have also discovered several threats on the dark web that offer customers personalized Android-based phones with pre-installed apps used to make purchases, secure communications, and send instructions to shipping carriers. identified drug stores.
“The best way to protect yourself from counterfeit prescription drugs is to only purchase drugs from trusted sources,” warns Resecurity. “This includes face-to-face or online licensed pharmacies that require a prescription from a licensed healthcare provider.”
Looking ahead, security experts say they expect a new market to emerge in 2023.
“As outlined in the report, geopolitics and drug trafficking go hand in hand, so the amount of dark web shadow economy is [continue] grow up […] Accelerated by ongoing tensions,” reads Recommendation.
“Law enforcement must develop new ways to monitor illegal drug trafficking on the dark web and adjust tactics to the dynamically changing threat landscape.”
A resecurity report is issued several weeks after the National Crime Agency (NCA) discovers it. Identity of two drug traffickers After they unknowingly took pictures of themselves and their pet dog.
