Dark web forensics

For the general concept, see Dark web.

Dark web forensics is a subfield of digital forensics and cybercrime investigation focused on the identification, collection, preservation, analysis, and reporting of digital evidence that originates from or relates to activities on the dark web and other darknets (overlay networks such as Tor, I2P, and private peer-to-peer networks).^[1][2][3][4] It combines traditional forensic methods (disk and memory analysis, network forensics) with techniques tailored to anonymity networks, cryptocurrency tracing, undercover operations, and open-source intelligence.^{[1][5][6][7][8][9]}

Overview

Dark web forensics addresses investigations where one or more parties attempt to conceal identity, location, or activity using privacy-preserving technologies. Investigations commonly relate to marketplaces, illegal services, stolen data, child exploitation material, malware distribution, ransomware infrastructure, and hacking-for-hire.^[10][11][12] The field crosses technical, legal, and operational domains and often requires international cooperation because criminal infrastructure, victims, and service providers can be distributed across multiple jurisdictions.^[10]

History

The rise of Tor and darknet marketplaces in the late 2000s and 2010s increased the need for specialized forensic methods.^[13][14] High-profile law enforcement takedowns and academic research throughout the 2010s and 2020s have shaped modern practices, producing tools, procedures, and legal frameworks for investigating anonymous networks and cryptocurrency-based transactions.^[10]

Common tools

• Tor Browser and Tor client utilities
• Web crawlers and recon tools (e.g., SpiderFoot, custom Scrapy spiders)
• Tools like Intelligence X, DarkIntelX, and Hunchly.^[15][14][16]
• Blockchain analysis platforms and wallets clustering tools.^[17]

See also

• Digital forensics
• Network forensics
• Open-source intelligence
• Dark web
• Cryptocurrency tracing