Dissecting the Dark Web: Reverse Engineering the Tools of the Underground Economy

The dark web has a marketplace. This is what's for sale.

Getting into the dark web isn’t simple. You need Tor. You need clean OPSEC. And even then, the forums worth being in don’t just let you walk through the door. The top-tier ones require vouches from established members, Bitcoin deposits, proof that you’re somebody.

In 2021, Lindsay Kaye was among the first to reverse engineer and publicly disclose a new ransomware variant. She did it before the group behind it, BlackMatter, had even star...