Kaspersky Predicts Dark Web Market Trends During 2024

Illustration of the dark web market. (Photo: Pixabay)

JAKARTA - In 2023, Kaspersky experts saw a significant increase in theft and extortion activity in the Dark Web market or illegal sites.

In the latest Kaspersky Security Bulletin (KSB), experts from the Global Research and Analysis Team and Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence have gathered trends that will appear on the dark web market.

First, Kaspersky experts say, if previously the cybercriminals used phishing emails, then this year they would switch to search engine ads (Google and Bing) to promote malware-filled websites.

"Direct traffic dealers are likely to increase their sales activities, and Kaspersky expects this fraudulent practice to continue to increase," said Sergey Lozhkin, Main Security Researcher, Global Research and Analysis Team (GREAT) at Kaspersky.

In addition, Kaspersky also found that requests for crypto depletion services, a category of malicious software designed for fast and automated withdrawing funds from legitimate crypto wallets to cybercriminals' wallets, would increase.

"The sustainable interest in crypto, NFT, and other digital assets is expected to trigger the proliferation of tools like this," he added.

Then, experts also anticipate the following tendency:

Cybersecurity requires proactive attitudes. Monitoring dark web market activities and trends is similar to peeking at counter-enemy guidelines, enabling early detection of threats, understanding enemy tactics, and ensuring you are several steps more advanced in terms of cyber defense," Lozhkin said further.