The six months following Evolution’s ‘exit scam’ saw a period of great instability on the remaining darknet markets, with ever increasing ‘down time’ during which markets were not accessible. Some of this was driven by moderators trying to improve security measures and some due to ‘denial of service’ attacks. These attacks were often designed to disrupt market operations to either extort money from moderators or entice customers to rival marketplaces. In August 2015, Agora suspended trading, asking all market participants to remove their bitcoin. They cited security concerns as the reason, and to date they have not returned to trading.
- The platform had processed almost $30 million in drug sales prior to its closure last year, amid a backdrop of rising opioid abuse in the U.S., where deaths from fentanyl almost tripled between 2016 and 2021.
- Fentanyl and fentanyl-laced drugs also arrive in the United States through Latin America based cartels.
- In 2019, there were approximately 8,400 active sites on the dark web, selling thousands of products and services daily.
- Whether it’s Incognito’s mandatory 2FA, Abacus’s advanced encryption, or Alphabay’s multi-layered DDoS protection, these platforms balance security with usability.
- Whether you’re trading pharmaceuticals, digital goods, or fraud tools, these platforms offer the best in escrow reliability, vendor quality, and cryptocurrency options, making them the go-to choices for serious darknet traders in 2025.
Risks Associated With Active Darknet Markets
Oddly enough, on September 27th, 2021, the Liberty Market administration team did announce a retirement plan for their market, to finalize all orders by October 8th and shutting down the servers on October 10th. For comparison, most midsize companies operating in the US earn between $10 million and $1 billion annually. Both Agartha and Cartel earned enough revenue within the 35-week period we tracked them to be characterized as midsize companies, earning $91.6 million and $32.3 million, respectively. Other markets like Aurora, DeepMart, and WhiteHouse were also on track to reach the revenue of a midsize company if given a full year to earn.
US Indicts Iranian National For Operating Nemesis Darknet Marketplace
Because of the range of goods and services found for sale and the conversations that occur around these sales, dark web marketplaces can be precious sources of data on criminal activity. As such, they are normally under intense scrutiny from law enforcement and security professionals alike. Launched in September 2022, Torzon Market operates on the Tor network and features over 11,600 illegal products, including drugs and hacking tools. Torzon offers a premium account option for additional benefits and is valued at approximately $15 million, accepting payments in Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR). WeTheNorth is a Canadian market established in 2021 that also serves international users. It offers counterfeit documents, financial fraud tools, hacking and malware services.
Common Categories Of Illicit Content
This solution focuses on identifying stolen data, brand misuse, and potential threats before they can cause significant harm. With Brandefense, businesses gain early visibility into risks that may otherwise remain undetected until it’s too late. Those early examples, though, were through closed networks, and the actual exchanges of money and goods generally had to take place in person. With the advent of crypto-currencies, it became not only possible to complete trades online without leaving a money trail but easy. As a result, the trading of illegal goods online has become more commonplace, and vast dark web marketplaces have been created.
Darknet Markets Explained
In May 2024, Ticketmaster faced a significant data breach affecting millions of customers. Dark web listings surfaced almost immediately after the breach, advertising this information for sale to cybercriminals. This trove of stolen data included names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and phone numbers, leaving millions of individuals vulnerable to identity theft. Shortly after the breach, a hacker group known as USDoD listed this data on dark web marketplaces, pricing it at a staggering $3.5 million. A Canadian market established in 2021, WTN offers over 9,000 products, including narcotics, fake goods, and digital services.
Regardless, UAPS remains a key provider of payment infrastructure to top fraud shops. Using his credentials, cybercriminals committed a variety of online fraud activity over the course of six months. In 2019, the FBI started its investigation into Genesis Market and enlisted other government agencies and law enforcement organizations across the world, working towards the market’s closure on April 4, 2023. As part of the investigation, the Dutch National Police took the lead on cybercrime prevention, and Van Well shared his insight on the sophistication of the fraud shop’s operation. Compare leading cryptomarkets based on ratings, listing counts, supported cryptocurrencies, monthly volumes, and user bases as of February 2025. Vice City Market offers 18,000+ listings with a 5% share and $2.5M monthly turnover.
North Korea Hacks Crypto: More Targets, Lower Gains
All buying and selling on Dream (the largest, longest-running and most-used dark net market) had been halted. Most vendors and users have, however, been able to access the site and withdraw funds. But when it shuts for good at the end of the month, it will mark the closure of hundreds of thousands of listings generating millions of dollars in trade each week. Sanctioning the various actors in the global cryptocurrency laundering and cashout ecosystem has caused disruptions for these services. At the same time, the takedown of Hydra Market pushed cryptocurrency cash-out providers onto other platforms.
Active Directory Credentials, Ransomware, And Identity: The New Frontier For Cybersecurity
Each market profile digs into its backstory, key strengths, supported currencies, user and seller stats, payment safeguards, uptime history, and standout traits that set it apart in the crowded field of anonymous trading. The darknet market landscape in 2025 is evolving rapidly, driven by technological innovation, user preferences, and external pressures like law enforcement and crypto volatility. This section explores the key trends shaping our top 10 darknet rankings as of February 27, 2025, offering insights into the forces redefining onion marketplaces, crypto trading platforms, and dark pool trading hubs. Abacus Market reigns supreme at #1, a versatile titan that processes $5 million monthly across 35,000+ listings, dominating 8% of the darknet drug trade. Its catalog spans pharmaceuticals (60%), digital goods like hacked accounts and software (25%), fraud tools such as credit card dumps (10%), and miscellaneous items (5%), catering to a diverse 15,000+ user base and 1,200+ vendors. Abacus’s escrow system is a marvel, achieving a 98% success rate—resolving 90% of disputes within 36 hours—while its onion routing maintains a 95% uptime, with only minor maintenance-related dips in 2024.
In 2025, the darknet trading world shows grit and fresh ideas, adjusting to challenges like law enforcement moves, tech leaps, and changing user tastes. This isn’t a quick glance—it’s a thorough rundown of why these platforms lead, from Abacus Market’s wide-ranging goods and near-perfect payment safety to Alphabay Market’s massive reach and Torrez Market’s seller-driven variety. For traders, knowing these markets means spotting the strongest sellers, the safest payment setups, and the smartest cryptocurrency picks—be it Bitcoin (BTC) for speed, Monero (XMR) for privacy, or Tether (USDT) for lower costs. Use the filters below to sort by market name, seller rating, or currency support, and jump into each market’s details to see what earned it a spot in our 2025 lineup. ASAP Market offers 25,000+ listings and $4 million monthly across BTC, XMR, LTC, and USDT, with a 7% share. Its 14,000+ users and 1,000+ vendors leverage multi-crypto flexibility for seamless darknet trading.
Darknet Market Services Show Fragmentation In 2023
- Just as Incognito built on the playbook of its predecessors, future markets will learn from RapTor.
- Law enforcement agencies increasingly rely on cyber intelligence and technical analysis to penetrate the layers of anonymizing technology commonly used on the dark web.
- Illicit drug sales, for example, are promoted on social media, where platform features such as recommendation systems are affording new means of illicit drug supply.
- Nonetheless, threat actors adapted, with many choosing to move to the “RuTor” forum for communications and to decentralized platforms such as Telegram-based shops for drug advertisements, as well as offline sales.
- Marketplaces that reach the top of the ecosystem, in terms of volume, user base, listings, and reputation, often become priority targets for law enforcement.
In an extraordinary twist, Lin had previously worked for Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he trained law enforcement officials on the very blockchain analytics techniques used to take down platforms like his own. That revenue went to fund the site’s operations, including servers and what the DOJ described as “employee” salaries. All transactions were conducted in cryptocurrency—primarily Bitcoin and Monero—allowing customers and vendors to move funds without using traditional financial rails.
The dark web market hosts a variety of cybercriminal groups, ranging from state-sponsored actors to independent ransomware gangs. These groups operate globally, leveraging sophisticated tools and networks to execute large-scale attacks and maintain anonymity. In the first arc of the anime series Lupin the 3rd Part V, Lupin III steals digital currency from the “Marco Polo” darknet market. The months and years after Silk Road’s closure were marked by a greatly increased number of shorter-lived markets as well as semi-regular law enforcement takedowns, hacks, scams and voluntary closures. In late June 2025, users began reporting withdrawal issues with Abacus Market, which typically indicates an impending exit scam.
Spread Your Trades
Some virtual currency exchanges are exploited by malicious actors, but others, as is the case with Garantex, Suex, and Chatex, facilitate illicit activities for their own gains. Tor2door uses AES-256 with PGP, optional 2FA for 55% of its 13,000+ users, and advanced DDoS protection for 92% uptime post-2023 phishing. Its 93% escrow success rate resolves disputes in 48 hours for 87% of cases, supporting its speed-focused approach. Bohemia uses AES-256 without PGP or 2FA, a basic approach for its 11,000+ users, maintaining 91% uptime with basic DDoS protection. Its 92% escrow success rate resolves disputes in 48 hours for 85% of cases, reliable but trailing modern security standards in 2025.
If you wanted to become a seller on the website, entry is open, and the marketplace will take a 2% commission on every sale with a vendor bond varying between the $0 and $250 mark. Not only is the Dark Web’s DDoS market still active in 2023, but the prices of attacks are lower than ever. Ranging from $10 for an hour-long attack to $750 for a month-long attack, each with 10,000–15,000 requests per second, the prices depend on a variety of factors. Attacks with a smaller number of requests typically sell for less, and the target networks’ protection level also impacts the price.
