How AI Has Helped The Dark Web

Law enforcement agencies working online benefit from machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) , which lead to leading solutions. ML and AI work together, and automated methods can search the dark web, detect illegal activity and bring malicious actors to justice. 

The interface between AI and GIS has created enormous possibilities that were not possible before. The field of artificial intelligence (AI) is so advanced that it exceeds or exceeds human accuracy in many areas, such as speech recognition, reading and writing, and image recognition. Together, ML and AI are rapidly making their way into the world of law enforcement. 

AI, machine learning, and deep learning help make the world a better place, for example, by helping to increase crop yields through precision farming, fighting crime through predictive policing, or predicting when the next big storm will arrive, whether in the US or elsewhere.

As fraud detection programs are driven by artificial intelligence (AI), many of these chains turn to AI to ensure that they use various techniques to stop bad actors in advance. Broadly speaking, AI is the ability to perform tasks that typically require a certain level of human intelligence. 

Reward programs are particularly popular because they can store large amounts of valuable data, including payment information. Reward points are also valuable because bad actors can spend them or sell them on dark web marketplaces. 

Coffee giant Dunkin 'Donuts was the victim of a hacker attack in October 2018, and the fraudsters who initiated the program were able to sell users' loyalty credits on dark web marketplaces for a fraction of their value. Sixgill is a cyber threat intelligence service that analyses dark web activity to detect and prevent cyber attacks and sensitive data leaks before they occur. Using advanced algorithms, its cyber intelligence platform provides organisations with real-time alerts and actionable intelligence that priorities major threats such as cyber attacks, data breaches and cyber attacks. 

New York City-based Insight has developed a threat detection platform that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to scan deep and dark networks for specific keywords to alert potential targets. Sixgill investigates the Dark Web, the Internet of Things, and other areas of human activity to identify and predict cybercrime and terrorist activity. While the darker web requires someone to use the Tor browser, it can also be accessed by someone who knows where to look. 

That's why AI and ML are used to bring light into the dark web, and they can sweep it away faster than a person could. The IntSights report primarily scans deep and dark nets for the latter, but it can also scan the darker net, though not as fast or as far as a person could do, the report said. 

The problem with using AI and ML for this job is that there is not enough clarity: 40% of the websites on the dark-net are completely legal. The remaining 60% are not, and this includes anonymous transactions that are legal, according to the IntSights report.

The dark web is over 50% of the internet. Source: Google.

The dark web is over 50% of the internet. Source: Google.

Good cybersecurity practices can reduce the risk of information being collected and sold on the dark-net. Reporting incidents to law enforcement can generally reduce the risk, and a quick response to incidents can help minimise the damage. According to IntSights, law enforcement agencies around the world seized more than $1.5 billion worth of malicious software in 2017. 

Cobwebs Technologies' confusing tool can also search for information about possible crimes before they happen. Cobwebs Technologies' involvement tools can also search for information about potential crimes before they happen, and they are available to law enforcement free of charge. 

Cobwebs Technologies "confusing tool scans the deep dark web to identify and find connections between people's different profiles, displays the information in graphs and maps, and presents it in a variety of formats. It uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to search for keywords that contain information about people, such as their social media profiles and social networks. Tangle can also generate alarms to alert officials to potential threats extremely quickly. Monitoring people's activities on the dark web and other social networks can help officials pinpoint their plans.

Criminals now routinely use the internet to keep their criminal businesses under wraps, and artificial intelligence could help catch paedophiles operating on the dark-net, the Home Office has announced. The company's co-founder and chief technology officer, Dr Michael O'Brien, said: "Our company has developed an AI-based web intelligence solution to make the web safer by enabling law enforcement and crime analysts to uncover the hidden profiles of criminals, drug dealers, money launderers and other criminals lurking in the deep darknet. 

Earlier this month, Chancellor Sajid Javid announced that £30million had been made available to tackle child sexual exploitation online, with the Home Office revealing details on Tuesday of how it will be spent. The government has promised to spend more money on a child abuse image database that, since 2014, has allowed police and other law enforcement agencies to search seized computers or other devices for indecent images of children to help identify victims. Some aspects of artificial intelligence, including language analysis and age assessment, have been used to determine whether they would help track down child molesters.

Thumbnail credits: Casper Camille Rubin