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Silk Road, the first dark web market of the internet era, was a notorious cyber black market for illicit goods. Launched in 2011 and shut down by the FBI in 2013, Silk Road paved the way for today’s underground world of dark web marketplaces. Learn the origins of Silk Road and how dark web markets operate. Then, get a cybersecurity tool with a built-in VPN to encrypt your connection and help secure and protect your online activity.
The Silk Road was an online black market where users could buy and sell illicit goods anonymously. The first widely used dark web marketplace, Silk Road operated via darknets, anonymous networks that can only be accessed with specialized software like Tor Browser. The content of darknets makes up the dark web.
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Silk Road operated via a hidden darknet feature in the anonymous Tor network. Accessed with an app, the Tor network allowed users to anonymously browse Silk Road without the threat of traffic monitoring. All transactions were conducted in cryptocurrency — namely Bitcoin — which further ensured anonymity.
The Silk Road website’s name was based on the historical network of trade routes between Asia, the Middle East, East Africa, and Europe. And although the Silk Road site hasn’t operated for years, it laid the foundation for other darknet markets to follow. Today, Silk Road is an important case study when analyzing the growth of other dark web markets.
Silk Road was founded in 2011 by Ross Ulbricht, who used the pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts.” Ulbricht created Silk Road to enable anonymous online commerce while protecting users’ identities, transactions, and individual freedoms — this helped spur the trade of illicit goods. He operated the dark web marketplace until 2013.
In 2013, the FBI shut down the Silk Road website. That year, Ulbricht was arrested and charged with money laundering, computer hacking, and conspiracy to traffic narcotics. He was even accused of attempting to have at least five people killed because they threatened to reveal the truth behind Silk Road.
Before sentencing, in a letter to the judge, Ulbricht’s defense team argued that the site actually helped to reduce harm because “the Silk Road’s community provided drug users a more reliable way to buy untainted drugs.” In 2015, Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison and fined $183 million.
The Silk Road market operated on the Tor network, which masks your identity through IP address anonymity and encryption technology, while allowing you to find other websites on the dark web. Within Tor, customers could use the Silk Road dark web link to anonymously connect with vendors and buy illegal goods with cryptocurrency.
The Tor Browser is downloaded via torproject.org. When the Silk Road was in operation, you could search for the Silk Road link on Tor, then redirect to a signup screen requiring a username and password.
Once access was granted, vendors and customers used Silk Road to make transactions with cryptocurrency or via an escrow (a trusted third party). To avoid detection, purchased items were sent to alternative addresses, like PO boxes.
Drugs were the most common and lucrative goods to buy on Silk Road — making up 70% of the products for sale. Other items for sale included banned energy drinks, hacking services, digital goods (such as malware and pirated software), and forgeries (such as fake licenses and other illicit documents). Legal goods and services like art, books, jewelry were also for sale.
Like mainstream e-commerce platforms, Silk Road users could rate and review products and vendors. This helped promote reliable vendors and weed out fraudsters.
When it opened, Silk Road apparently prohibited the sale of anything with the intent to “harm or defraud,” such as child pornography, assassinations, or weapons. Offshoots of the Silk Road were less prohibitive. Along with drugs, other dark web marketplaces have offered cyber-arms, weapons, and counterfeit currency.
Stolen personal data — which can lead to identity theft — was also a big commodity. Run a dark web scan and you may be surprised to find your own personal data up for sale.
But the dark web is more than just shady online black markets. You can use dark web search engines to find some helpful dark websites. You can also find secure email services, independent journalism platforms, and even the dark web Wiki.
However, if you’re considering browsing the dark web, be advised of the risks, including illegal content, malware, scams, and potential legal consequences.
Dark web markets are notorious for selling a variety of illegal goods.
Silk Road was shut down in 2013. Spearheaded by US Senator Charles Schumer, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Justice conducted a lengthy investigation that led to Silk Road’s eventual shutdown — along with the arrest of founder Ross Ulbricht.
The FBI seized crypto wallets of Silk Road users and arrested Ulbricht, collecting millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin. The seizure of Bitcoin and arrest of Ulbricht were meant to send a clear message to other cybercriminal enterprises.
The dark web Silk Road is no longer active, but it established the template for other marketplaces to follow. Many “new Silk Road” websites use Tor for anonymous access, and conduct transactions through Bitcoin and escrow services. Some also have a rating system for vendors, just like the original Silk Road.
Long after the Silk Road marketplace was shut down, much of its proceeds were still purportedly missing. In 2020, Bitcoin blockchain verifiers spotted two transactions made from a Bitcoin address associated with Silk Road.
Worth approximately $1 billion at the time, it was later revealed that the US Government made these transfers in a civil forfeiture action. According to a press release, the Bitcoin wallet belonged to “Individual X” who had stolen the Bitcoin by hacking into Silk Road.
Even outside the dark web, online anonymity is crucial. Using a VPN alongside the best privacy browsers like Tor can help protect your privacy and security. Check out our guide on whether a VPN, proxy, or Tor is best.
Silk Road gave rise to a desire for legitimate darknet markets. Unfortunately, the current world of darknet markets isn’t much better — rife with shady characters, scams, and instability. The marketplaces are also a hotbed for cyberattacks, and the threat of law enforcement means they could be shut down at any time.
All of these risks contribute to the volatility and criminality of cyber black markets. Since the emergence of new dark web markets, scams and shutdowns have always been an issue, resulting in massive financial losses throughout the years.
Here are some of the biggest dark web market scams and shutdowns that followed the Silk Road:
The Evolution Marketplace: At its peak, this dark web market was known for its reliability and security. So users were alarmed when the site abruptly went down in 2015. Eventually, it was discovered that the shutdown was an “exit scam,” where the site's operators killed the website and stole approximately $12 million in escrowed Bitcoin.
The RealDeal: This marketplace specialized in selling malicious code and zero-day attacks. It was one of the many ambushed by a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack operation. The market owners discovered the attacker was collaborating with the owner of a rival — Mr. Nice Guy’s Market — who also had plans to scam his users.
Nucleus: This sizable market went offline in 2016 after a dispute between moderators and a merchant. It was alleged that the merchant hacked Nucleus after getting banned from selling on the market. Nucleus shut down while holding around 5,000 escrowed Bitcoin coins from customer accounts.
Trade Route: The major crackdown Operation Onymous diverted customers from other marketplaces and led to the rise of Trade Route. But after being hacked and extorted in 2017, this dark web marketplace shut down.
Silk Road 2.0: Run by the same administrators, this new Silk Road website was a revamp of the original. In 2014, the site’s escrow accounts were compromised, resulting in the reported theft of $2.7 million worth of Bitcoin. Later that year, Blake Benthall (a.k.a. “Defcon,” the alleged owner and operator of Silk Road 2.0) was arrested.
Utopia: Launched in 2014, Utopia was shut down after only 8 days, when undercover agents were able to buy large amounts of a variety of drugs. Utopia was used to trade drugs, weapons, stolen credit cards, and other illicit goods. Agents also seized around $610,900 in Bitcoin.
Black Goblin Market: Also launched in 2014, this marketplace was de-anonymized via a security oversight: Black Goblin would send confirmation to new users via email — with headers exposing the server’s true German IP address and other details. The site was shut down soon after.
The general volatility of darknet markets has led to calls for further decentralization of transactions to protect both buyers and vendors. If cryptocurrency is held in a customer account on a darknet platform, it’s always at risk if a site shuts down.
Commentators have suggested “multi-sig” crypto payments — requiring multiple keys to authorize a payment — and OpenBazaar, a fully-decentralized marketplace for e-commerce transactions.
Though none of the replacement dark web marketplaces have been as big as Silk Road, AlphaBay gained significant attention. In general, the Silk Road black market gave rise to an extremely profitable underground global trade that continues today. Rather than a broad market place, today's replacement markets are more likely to specialize in specific goods or a unique transaction system.
As long as there remains supply and demand for illicit goods, it seems that Darknet markets will continue to exist. Some imitate Silk Road (there was even a “new” Silk Road market operating for a while), while others find ways to innovate.
Here are some of the biggest darknet marketplaces that replaced Silk Road:
AlphaBay: Taken down in 2017 during Operation Bayonet, AlphaBay was re-launched in 2021. This marketplace features an auction-style system similar to eBay. All transactions are made through a secure escrow system. Unlike most other darknet marketplaces, AlphaBay accepts other forms of cryptocurrencies in addition to Bitcoin.
As of February 2023, AlphaBay has ceased operation. Despite much speculation about its sudden disappearance, no theories have been confirmed with concrete evidence.
VersusMarket: One of the largest “all-purpose” dark web markets, VersusMarket offers drugs along with a wide selection of counterfeit items, such as jewelry, gold, software, and carded items (acquired through illegal card purchases). VerusMarket is considered a community project and includes buyers in the development of the platform.
Vice City Market: This market prioritizes customer and vendor feedback to develop what it calls the best user experience. Vice City Market supposedly prides itself on excellent customer support and operational security. It also supports walletless purchases so customers don’t need to deposit additional cryptocurrency in their crypto wallets.
ASAP Market: Previously known as ASEAN Market, this market primarily focuses on drugs. An account is not required to browse the selection, but you need to register to buy. One of the perks of ASAP Market is its system for identifying scammers and fake reviews.
Dark web markets are home to a billion-dollar industry dealing in illicit goods. Unsettling dark web facts like this make them a great concern for governments. US agencies, like the FBI, are constantly working with international law enforcement groups to stop the growth of dark web markets around the world.
Here are some successful government efforts against dark web markets:
Operation Onymous (2014): Involving 17 countries, this major operation targeted several dark web markets. Authorities shut down around 27 websites, including Silk Road 2.0, Cloud9, and Hydra — seizing $1 million in Bitcoin, along with€180,000 in cash, gold, silver, and drugs.
Operation Bayonet (2017): This multinational operation targeted the AlphaBay and Hansa dark web markets. Their shutdown ultimately led to the rise in popularity of other markets, like TradeRoute and Dream Market.
Operation SaboTor (2019): This multi-agency crackdown led to the arrest of 61 people and 50 dark web accounts. Executing 65 search warrants, law enforcement seized more than 299 kilograms of drugs, 51 firearms, and $7 million in Bitcoin, cash, and gold.
Dream Market (2019): One of the most popular dark web drug markets at the time, Dream Market specialized in narcotics and stolen data. Authorities set up a sting operation, leading to the arrest of drug dealers accused of selling methamphetamine and heroin.
Dark Market (2021): The largest dark web marketplace was brought down by an international operation led by German authorities. Vendors mainly sold drugs, counterfeit money, stolen credit card details, anonymous SIM cards, and malware. The bust seized more than €140 million in crypto.
Even if you aren’t perusing darknet markets, true anonymous browsing will keep you safe from prying eyes — such as snoops, your ISP, and hackers. Our guide to private browsing is a start. From there, use encryption software and the best Google Chrome security and privacy extensions to shore up your security and privacy.
Anonymous browsing with a VPN or other encryption services will help hide your online activity from your government, ISP, or other prying eyes.
Accessing dark web markets like Silk Road is full of peril — but scams, cyberattacks, and other security threats can be found throughout all corners of the internet. Even if your online activity is completely legal, nobody wants hackers or other snoops following their every move.
Avast One is a comprehensive cybersecurity solution that combines a built-in VPN that encrypts your internet connection for true online privacy, along with online banking protection, data-breach monitoring, and ironclad anti-malware detection.