The dark web has seen an increase in size and popularity in the last few years. It is expected that the trend will continue in 2025. Experts believe that this year is going to be big for the dark web, especially after the pardon of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht by American President Donald Trump. While many people are happy with the news some believe that it would make people work on the dark web more freely and that might be true.
So after this groundbreaking news let’s see what would happen to the dark web in 2025 and also check out some darknet sites that are going to be very popular on the dark net this year.
The Dark Web In 2025
All the research and trends highlight a growth in the dark web marketplaces throughout the year. It is expected that the dark net intelligence market will grow to $0.76 billion in 2025 which is a compound annual growth of around 21% from the last year. Let’s talk about the trends that are going to be a big factor in the growth of the dark net market.
The Rise of Malicious Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is all the buzz these days but unfortunately, the trend is the same on the dark net as well. Malicious AI services are gaining popularity on the dark net. There is no doubt that AI technology is something that will revolutionize the entire fabric of our world and how we live our lives but the same technology in criminal hands can be disastrous.
There are already many services on the dark net that sell AI-made malware for a hefty price. In 2025, this trend is believed to increase. Even though AI technology has come a long way it is still not up to its full potential. It is still in a growing phase and as AI tech becomes more powerful and advanced so does the malware on the dark web sites. This also means that there are going to be hackers looking for new and advanced malware that will keep the market going. According to a study, by the year 2025, the damage because of cyber-attacks is expected to reach $10.5 trillion and AI is going to play a big part in that.
Hackers are using artificial intelligence to make their malicious products more sophisticated so much so that they are undetected even by the most powerful anti-malware programs. AI technology is improving at a good pace but the trend of using AI in malware is forcing anti-virus and anti-malware developers to speed up releasing more updates. They are also racing towards incorporating AI into their products. So the trends on the dark net are also creating newer trends on the surface web. A report shows that 75% of cyber security professionals had to rethink their strategies due to newer AI threats.
An Increase in Deep Fake Threats
Deep Fake services are also becoming more sophisticated on the darknet and the trend will grow in 2025. We see a lot of videos showing deepfake technology. Most people use it for fun to make unique videos but in the wrong hands, this technology can cause a lot of issues mainly identity theft. Devices and security systems that are locked with facial recognition can be easily bypassed with deepfake technology.
Deepfake services are becoming very good and sophisticated as criminals can now create faces that are eerily similar to the real person. They can then use it to create videos that might hurt the victim financially or it might damage their image in society. These videos can then be used to extort money from the victim. Annually around $40 billion are lost because of deepfakes and other generative AI attacks.
Growing Ransomware Attacks
Criminals on the dark net use different types of malware to attack their victims’ devices. One of the most popular types of malware is ransomware. It was quite popular in the previous year and the trends show that it would be more popular in the current year.
There are RaaS services on the dark net which is short for Ransomware as a Service. Ads are posted on the dark net about ransomware as a service and people can rent ransomware for some time for as low as $5. Such a small price tag shows how easy it is for anyone to carry out cyber-attacks.
Ransomware attacks are expected to be carried out on supply chain operations of both smaller and high-value companies. By doing this, cybercriminals can steal sensitive information about the company and then extort money from the company by keeping their data ransomed or by blackmailing them to leak the information to competitors.
More Websites like The Silk Road
With Donald Trump pardoning Ross Ulbricht the founder of the original Silk Road on the dark net, there are risks that more people would be looking to create such marketplaces on the dark net. They might feel that they can use the pardoning of Ross Ulbricht in case they are ever in any legal issues due to their dark net businesses. The Silk Road was the most lucrative and popular marketplace on the dark net and the founder was arrested on multiple charges based on the crimes that happened with the facilitation of the Silk Road.
His followers and supporters argued that he did not commit any crimes as he was just the person who ran the platform and the buyers and sellers were free to carry out transactions on their own conscious. They deemed his role as nonviolent as that is what other people can take advantage of. If there is a precedent that the founder of the marketplace isn’t responsible for the crimes that take place through it then other criminals might also cite the example of Ross Ulbricht if they are in any legal trouble.
Drainer Services on the Dark Net
The drainer services will also be a boost on the dark net in 2025. As the name suggests the drainer services are those where criminals can drain the crypto wallets, bank accounts, and digital wallets. These services are already very popular on the dark internet but with more users making their way to the dark net, the demand for drainer services might also increase.
Companies Will Have to Be More Vigilant About Dark Net Threats In 2025
Businesses all over the world have to be very vigilant about the dangers of the dark net. Hackers are always looking to attack company emails and company networks so that they can steal important and sensitive information. If a company isn’t aware of the risks they wouldn’t be able to defend themselves in a better way. In addition to being aware of the threats, they should also train their employees to protect the company’s information.
The global economy is in a bad condition which can compel employees to carry out inside attacks on the company by facilitating hackers. Malicious employees can steal company information and sell it on the dark net. A study shows around 83% of businesses reported at least one insider attack last year and the same study shows that the insider attacks will continue to grow in 2025.
Some Positive Dark Net Trends In 2025
Internet users are now realizing that the dark net isn’t only for criminals. Anyone can visit the dark net and enjoy the privacy that comes with it; not to mention the rare items that can be found on the dark internet. This increase in awareness is bound to cause some positive effects on the dark net. So with more noncriminals visiting the dark net, we might see an increase in legal services on the dark net. The volume of legal business on the dark net will increase. People will also try setting up businesses on the dark net to tap into the market of clients who are very cautious about their privacy and only buy things from the dark net.
People are becoming more concerned about their data privacy. That also means that people would start to become more inclined to carry out their normal discussions through private networks. Like the dark net version of the popular social media site Facebook.
There are many regions in the world where governments change rules about the internet based on their politics. People these days know that if their government has restrictive internet policies and if they ban certain important websites or mainstream communication websites then people can visit the dark net to communicate with journalists and other people from around the globe. They can spread information about what is happening under a tyrant regime in their country. They can share all about the human rights violations in their country without the authorities knowing about it.
Top Sites on the Dark Web In 2025
There are about 30000 websites on the dark net and the number is increasing every year. However, some dark web sites have stood the test of time. These websites are going to be visited by hundreds of thousands or even maybe millions of people in 2025 as well. Let’s take a look at some of the top sites on the dark net in 2025.
- Pro Publica
- SecureDrop
- The Hidden Wiki
- DuckDuckGo
- Bitcoin Mixer
- BBC Tor Mirror
Pro Publica
ProPublica is one of the most popular legitimate sites on the dark net. It takes advantage of the privacy and anonymity offered by the dark net. This is why activists and journalistic sources usually share sensitive information with investigative journalists through this platform. It is also a popular platform for whistleblowers as it offers a great level of anonymity. So much so that even the investigative journalist that they are sharing information with wouldn’t know who the whistleblower is.
It can also be used to share tips about what a corrupt company or government is planning to do. This is why this platform is so important and popular in the current world that is going through multiple wars and changing global political dynamics.
Some of these people are no less than heroes who in some cases put their security on the line to share information that could be beneficial to the rest of the world. The information they share can be quite risky which is why using a platform like ProPublica can be the best thing for them. In addition to private and anonymous communication, Pro Publica also has a vast database of research material that contains general information and also top secret and rare data about companies, governments, and militaries that you might not find on the surface web.
SecureDrop
SecureDrop is another popular site that offers a somewhat similar service as Pro Publica. It does not have a database of research material as Pro Publica but people activists and journalistic sources can use it to share information with journalists.
Investigative journalists usually can’t get their hands on sensitive and important information unless and until they have someone inside the firm sharing that information with them. If it is done through the surface web, it can expose the identity of the whistleblower and put them in a lot of danger. If it is done on SecureDrop or Pro Publica, it can protect the identity of the whistleblower while also providing the investigative journalist with the missing pieces of their investigation so it is a win-win situation for both of them.
The Hidden Wiki
The original Hidden Wiki site on the dark net was closed some time back however there are still a lot of different mirror sites that offer the same thing as Hidden Wiki. These mirror sites are also equally popular as the original site. The reason that Hidden Wiki is so popular and continues to be popular is that it offers so many links to different sites on the dark net.
Regular visitors of the dark net usually have the authentic onion links they want to follow so they directly access the respective dark net site. However, there is a large proportion of people who first visit the Hidden Wiki and find the link for the product or service they are looking for.
It can be very beneficial for users but there is also a very big downside. The hackers use the hidden wiki for phishing attacks. They place malicious links on the hidden wiki. So that when a new visitor clicks on a link, their device is compromised. If used carefully it can provide a starting point for people who are looking to check out the dark side of the internet.
DuckDuckGo
Like ProPublica, this is another platform on the dark net that is not inherently malicious. It all depends on how people use it. You can think of it as Google but with a strong focus on privacy and that is what makes it an ideal search engine for the Tor network.
The DuckDuckGo search engine does not keep any of your search history and it does not track the users’ data or behavior. People becoming more conscious about data privacy each passing year. The use of DuckDuckGo is bound to become more prevalent. There is also a surface web version of DuckDuckGo. However, that cannot be used to access dark net links. However, it does provide more privacy than other mainstream browsers.
Facebook came under a lot of fire for data breach cases but you wouldn’t find that problem with the dark net version of Facebook. It is the perfect social media site for people whose priority while using social media is privacy and anonymity. Data is the most lucrative commodity in the current era. This is why data privacy has become a big point of focus for everyone. Such social media sites allow people to communicate anonymously and without government oversight. Which is why the darknet version of Facebook will keep enjoying great popularity in 2025.
Bitcoin Fog and Bitcoin Mixers
Bitcoin Fog is one of the most popular and longest-running crypto mixers on the darknet. In 2024 its operator Roman Sterlingov was convicted of laundering $400 million through Bitcoin Fog. But that hasn’t stopped people from using crypto mixers on the dark net. People have started to become more aware of the benefits of Bitcoin mixers. Bitcoin fog is just one of the many crypto tumblers available to dark net users; there are however several other popular Bitcoin Mixers on the dark net as well. Bitcoin mixers like Bitcoin Fog are gaining more and more popularity with people becoming more aware of their function.
What Bitcoin mixers do is that they add your crypto into a pool of crypto from millions of other users. And then that pool is used to carry out transactions. So if you buy anything from the dark net, it would be routed through a mixer where it will be combined with crypto from other buyers. No one would be able to trace back what transaction was done by which person. So it adds a strong layer of security for the buyers.
BBC Tor Mirror
The BBC Tor Mirror is a testament to the fact that there are some very good websites on the darknet as well. That is working for a noble cause. The BBC site on the dark net is the official dark net version of the British media house. Specifically to offer information to people. Who live in areas where the government firewall has banned access to news and authentic media sites.
Other Popular Sites on the Dark Net In 2025
Other popular dark web sites include Rise Up, Sci-Hub, CIA, Impreza Hosting, and Comic Book Library.
- Impreza hosting is one of the most popular hosting services for dark web sites. People who want to start their websites on the dark net can buy hosting from here. The hosting is available at a very reasonable price which makes it easier for people to start their sites on the dark net.
- Comic Book Library has a vast database of pirated comic books for comic book lovers. While using or watching pirated material is not as bad as other crimes on the dark net, it is still illegal.
- RiseUp is a great platform for activists who want to communicate privately without the oversight of their government.
- Sci-Hub offers people the chance to check out research and academic material that would otherwise require a paid subscription on the surface web. This gives everyone access to quality research material but it also violates copyright law.
- CIA also has its dark net version. They were the first intended users of the dark net. CIA’s dark net version is used by CIA assets to communicate privately without other spy agencies tapping into their conversation. It is also used by whistleblowers and informants who want to share information with the CIA.
Final Words
All the relevant experts and studies show that 2025 is going to be a big year for the dark web. It is going to see growth in all aspects whether it is the number of websites, the number of users, or the business volume. The dark web sites that have been popular on the dark net for years will continue to enjoy great popularity with some new AI-related products and services also getting popular. With AI technology becoming more advanced, only time will tell what type of new sites we are going to see during the year. It wouldn’t be surprising to see new dark web links, services, and marketplaces becoming more popular than existing sites by the end of the year.