The dark web is an ever-changing world. Each year people see a lot of new trends on the dark web. Most of these are based on what is happening in the real world. There were many trends on the dark web in 2023 that were different from what we saw in 2022. The same is true for 2024. The dark web is going to see a lot of new trends and changes in 2024.
Some of these changes can be good for the authorities while others might make the work of criminals easier. Let’s take a look at some of the major things that changed on the dark web in 2024.
The Size of the Dark Web Is Going To Grow
The dark web only makes up 0.01% of the total internet but its size is expanding. With new markets being opened on the dark net and people becoming more knowledgeable on how to access it have all resulted in the expansion of the dark web. It is hard to predict the exact increase in volume of the dark web. But it is believed that it would just be a gradual step up. This trend wouldn’t just stop in 2024; a study done from 2024 to 2032 shows a substantial growth in the size of the dark web. The dark web has some good uses but it is mostly used for malicious activities and an increase in its volume should be a concern for all authorities in the world who are responsible for the safety of their citizens.
New Types of Malware on the Dark Web
Every year new types of malware are introduced on the dark web. The same can be said about 2024. The year 2024 will see a lot of new types of malware and cyber-attack tools on the dark web. As technology advances so do the cyber criminals. This advancement in technology has also given rise to tools that can help criminals bypass antivirus software. In 2024 you will see an increased number of services that offer Antivirus evasion tools.
There is no denying that malware services will evolve in the year 2024, especially after the introduction of AI technology on the dark web.
Crypto Currencies Volume Will Increase
Another change that you will see in 2024 is that the crypto transactions on the dark web will increase. The crypto transactions values decreased from over 39 billion to around 24 billion in 2023. However, this trend is expected to change. You might see an increase in value from 2024. This is because of the increased number of people who have now started to access the dark web.
In addition to the increased crypto being received in illicit crypto wallets, you might also see a change in crypto asset-draining services. These services are expected to get better which would help the cyber criminals carry out their activities. The demand for such services is also expected to increase in 2024.
The Daily Users Number on the Dark Net Will Increase
The year 2024 will see an increase in the number of daily users on the dark net. This can be speculated by the trend in the last few years. In April of 2023, the number of daily dark net users was 2.7 million which was after an increase of 200000 from the previous recorded number. It is believed that half of the users on the dark net are involved in criminal activities.
This change is seen because these days it is easy to get information about the dark net on the internet. You can easily download Tor and find authentic dark net links to visit. This has made it easier for more criminals to access the dark net. It has also made it easier for other people to visit the dark net who just want to experience the dark net without any criminal activities.
If you are someone who wants to visit the dark net for non-criminal activities then this article would help you understand if accessing the dark net is good for normal internet users or not.
A Change in the Way Cyber Criminals Work on the Dark Net
There is a range of different things that cybercriminals work on the dark net. Mostly these include phishing emails however now cyber criminals are trying to employ more dangerous scamming techniques. Cybercriminals that work on the dark net are now trying to add malware to Google and Bing ads that you see in search results. It is usually done on the top search results where you see ads based on your search history. This is what makes this technique so effective that you would see an advertisement that is related to things you have searched. This increases the chances of you clicking on it.
The demand for such services is increasing on the dark net and there will be many cyber criminals who will provide this service on the dark net in 2024. This can be very dangerous as millions of people may click on those ads. Some people might do it unintentionally and get exposed to a cybercam.
These types of scams are termed Black traffic schemes and they can be very effective in getting results for cyber criminals. So people need to be careful when they click on an ad. You mustn’t click on an advertisement that you think is a little shady.
More and More AI Tools will be introduced On the Darknet
Most of the AI tools you see on the surface web have their dark net counterparts. The introduction of artificial intelligence has changed the landscape of the world. it has also changed how the dark networks. It has become increasingly easy for criminals to carry out their illegal and illicit activities with the help of AI technology.
It is expected that in 2024 artificial intelligence technology is going to become more refined and even more advanced than last year. This will also be seen on the dark net. One of the biggest changes that you will see on the dark net in 2024 is going to be its high reliability on Artificial intelligence to carry out criminal activities. This is yet another change in the dark net dynamics that will not end in 2024 but will gradually increase in the coming years.
Artificial intelligence has made cyber criminals very powerful. One example that will help you understand just how effective AI technology can be on the dark net. There are AI tools on the dark net that can help you create a new and unique type of malware. That is exactly according to the type of attack you want to do. As these AI tools are trained on the dark net, criminals can use these programs to get important information about governments that is available on the dark net but it’s easily accessible. Using dark net alternatives of chatGPT will help criminals get their hands on such information.
Programs like FraudGPT support criminals in their wrongful activities. They can even help inexperienced hackers carry out big jobs. In 2024 we will surely see more AI tools being introduced on the dark net.
The Authorities Are Also Becoming More Sophisticated
Many things are changing on the dark net in 2024. But all those things don’t just pertain to criminal activities but also to the security agencies and regulatory authorities. With the changing trends and changing techniques of criminal activities, the authorities are also changing their ways of countering cybercrime. They are also trying to update their ways of tracking criminal activities on the dark net. Like cyber criminals, the authorities are also using AI to improve their ways of tracking criminal activity on the dark net.
Crypto Mixers Will Improve
The dark net may feel like a lawless place. But some agencies are working day and night on tracking criminals on the dark net. As soon as some new illicit program is launched on the dark net, some people and agencies start working on countering those illicit programs. One of the examples of such things is the use of AI technology by both criminals and law enforcement authorities. The criminals use it to carry out their activities in an easier manner. Law enforcement authorities have also started to use AI technology to counter cyber threats on the dark net. So this shows that there is always something out there that can cause problems for criminals on the dark net.
This compels criminals to regularly work on improving their techniques and programs. They have to regularly update their practices to not get caught. One of those upgrades will be seen in crypto mixers in 2024. Crypto mixers are tools that provide an added layer of anonymity. When you are paying for something on the dark net. They also play a huge role in crypto money laundering. In the past few years law enforcement authorities have been developing ways to digitally track the people who use these crypto-mixing services on the dark net. They have been effectively narrowing down on such services.
The cybercriminals working on the dark net can’t afford this. This is why it is believed that in 2024, the crypto mixers will become more complex and sophisticated to track. This would provide more security and anonymity to the users and it will make it difficult for the law enforcement authorities to track the users based on their current technology and practices.
A Move to Chinese Dark Web Forums
The FBI has been working very hard to close down illicit dark web links. This has compelled people to move from the US dark web forums to Chinese dark web forums. The US authorities have a lot of influence in different parts of the world. However, they don’t have a strong influence on the politics of China or countries like North Korea. This makes it easier for criminals to keep working on the dark web without having to worry about the FBI tracking them down. It is believed that we will see more internationalization in 2024.
More Personal Data Will Be Available For Dark Web Users to Buy
Improvement in technology is always a good thing however one should still be careful with the way they use that technology. Every month thousands of new apps are released on online stores. The more apps you use, the more vulnerable you become. With so many apps in the market and people wanting to try new games and applications. It has become increasingly easy for hackers to steal information.
In simple terms, if you use 10 apps, the hackers will have 10 different places from where they can steal your information as compared to if you use fewer apps. People these days regularly use several different apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube Snapchat, Facebook, Telegram, and many others. You never know when a new app will be released that will become something that will be used daily but people from all over the world.
This rise in the number of applications used by people has become a gold mine for criminals on the dark web. As the sample size has increased, so has the product. It is expected that in 2024, there will be more personal data for sale on the dark web as compared to the previous year.
Final Words
These are some of the things that have changed or will change in 2024. The range and magnitude of these changes show that the dark web is evolving. There are changes in things that the criminals are doing and also counter criminal activities that security agencies and other relative authorities are doing on the dark web.
Most of these things are based on the trends that the dark web has been seeing in the past few years. Based on how the world might be in the coming years. We might see some other major changes on the dark web as well.