When most people hear the term “darknet”, they think of hackers and black market items. In reality, on any given day, almost 3,000,000 people visit the darknet, and most of them are not looking to score drugs. If you want to learn about the far reaches of the internet, the first question on your mind is probably how to get on the darknet? You have multiple options that range from simply downloading Tor Browser and surfing the darknet with no added protection to leveraging LINUX Tails OS, a Tor-based flash drive OS that automatically scrubs itself when unplugged. Remember that you’ll need to adhere to the darknet security best practices and keep an eye out for malicious actors.
If you’re not especially tech-savvy, setting everything up may seem like a guaranteed headache. Luckily for you, we will be covering the entire process in this guide, step by step. We’ll also delve into the origins of the darknet, the technology it’s built on, and the hidden risks you may encounter along the way. The dark side of the Internet is full of dangers, which can include legal consequences depending on your intent. So follow along to make sure you’re navigating it safely and responsibly.
How to Get On The Darknet: a Step-by-Step Guide
Each of these methods will get you to the darknet with varying degrees of security and anonymity. Depending on your goals, you might be okay using the easiest and least secure method. But if you want to know how to get on the darknet as safely, securely, and anonymously as possible, you may want to go the Tails route.
1. The Basic Method: Tor Browser
Although the technology behind Tor is truly a marvel, relying on the online browser alone can leave you exposed. Sure, Tor encrypts and reroutes all of your traffic. But while your ISP can’t see your traffic, it can still see when you’re using Tor. That being said, if you just need to do some quick research, here’s the fastest way to get on the darknet:
Step 1: Download the latest version of Tor Browser. Make sure you’re downloading from the official website.
Step 2: Launch the browser and click “Configure Connection”. Do not toggle the “Always connect automatically” option.
Step 3: Go to the “Privacy and Security” tab in the Settings, and scroll down to the Security section.
Step 4: In the Security Level menu, select “Safest.”
Step 5: Scroll all the way down in the “Privacy & Security” settings tab until you see the “HTTPS-only mode”. Turn it on to prevent accidental security breaches.
Step 6: Enable a bridge to mask your connection to Tor by navigating to the bottom of the Connection settings menu.
Step 7: Click “Select a built-in bridge…” to choose one of Tor’s recommended options, or press “Add new bridges…” if you have a particular bridge you want to use.
Pro Tip: If you’re having trouble with auto-generated bridges, you can get some by sending an email to bridges@torproject.org. This is very important – leave the email subject empty and write "get transport obfs4" in the email's message body; only requests from Gmail or RiseUp email addresses are accepted.
2. The Intermediate Method: Tor + VPN
Adding a VPN service to your Tor browsing routine is a more secure approach that hides your real IP address, providing additional protection against tracking. In other words, your ISP will no longer see that you’re connected to Tor. Although they can still tell you’re using a VPN, these services are widely used for a variety of reasons so your activity will hardly stand out at all. On the other hand, if the VPN happens to suffer even a few seconds of downtime while you browse the darknet, your Tor use may be traced again.
In practice, this method is almost identical to using Tor directly. The only difference is one extra step:
Step 1: Activate your VPN before starting Tor Browser. Double-check that your IP is being masked before moving on.
3. The Pro Method: Tails OS
If privacy and security are at the top of your list of priorities, Tails OS was made for you. You’ll need a flash drive and setup takes a bit of time, but the result will be worth it. Designed with security in mind, Tails is a plug-and-play OS that lets you get rid of all traces of your Tor use. Even if someone was to gain access to your machine at a later time, they wouldn’t find any of your activity on the OS, such as your browsing history, files, downloads, etc. In fact, Tails does not interact with your computer’s main OS in any way, shape, or form, so even the use of Tails itself will be undetectable.
Step 1: Once you have a USB flash drive (16GB or more), make your way to the official LINUX Tails website.
Step 2: Download the the latest version of the tails USB image file.
Step 3: Once you download the Tails image file, it’s crucial to verify your download on this page.
Click the green “Select your download” button and choose the .img file you downloaded in Step 2.
Then, simply wait for the verification to complete.
Step 4: Now you can flash Tails OS into a USB flash drive using balenaEtcher. The creators of Tails highly recommend this user-friendly tool. Once installed, open balenaEtcher and insert your USB drive into your computer.
Step 5: Press “Flash from file” and select the file you verified in Step 3.
Step 6: Press “Change” to select the correct USB device. Then, hit flash to start the process.
Once the Flashing process is 100% complete, your Tails OS is ready.
Step 7: Now go into settings on your PC and press “System”
Step 8: Press on “Recovery”
Step 9: press “Restart now” next to “Advanced startup.” Ensure the USB flash drive with Tails OS is plugged in
Step 10: Your PC will restart, and you will be prompted with bot options. Select “Use a device.”
Step 11: Choose the USB with the Tails OS from the list.
Step 12: On the next screen, select basic settings like language and click “Start Tails”.
Most users prefer to keep a small amount of data and a few installed apps on their flash drive, so they use the Persistent Memory feature to avoid jumping through the same hoops repeatedly. This feature is also protected by encryption, so if someone else tries using your Tails USB, they won’t be able to see your “persistent” files without entering an additional passcode.
Step 13: Once Tails loads, click the Onion icon on the top right to connect to the Tor network. We recommend opting in to connect automatically and to hide the local network via a bridge.
How to Get on The Darknet Safely - Tor Security Best Practices
Though the Onion router is made for privacy, it’s still a web browser. Most people prefer to sacrifice a small degree of security for added speed. But if anonymity is your priority, here are some suggestions to help you get the most out of Tor’s security features.
1. Never torrent via Clearnet-enabled services like BitTorrent while surfing Tor If you really need to torrent something, simply use the open source alternative, OnionShare.
2. Stick to HTTPS versions of websites. The easiest way to do this is by activating HTTPS-only mode in Tor.
3. Do not open files downloaded from the darknet. Even PDFs and Word files can contain hidden malware. If you absolutely must open one, use a tool like dangerzone or at the very least disconnect your computer from the internet before opening the file.
4. Use a bridge. A VPN isn’t the only thing that can prevent your ISP from knowing you use Tor. The browser itself comes with a similar feature called bridges, which allow you to create an additional Tor node right on your PC. This node (or bridge) is then used as the entry point of your signal, obfuscating your connection to the Tor network.
5. When it comes to transactions, use Monero. Today, only people who don’t understand Bitcoin think it’s compatible with anonymity. Monero doesn’t come with an open ledger. So before completing any kind of transaction, hop on a DEX like PlasBit and set yourself up with an untraceable currency like XMR.
What is The Darknet?
Before jumping into the actual procedure, let’s briefly review the history of the onion router, and the principles behind the technology.
What is Tor?
When you open your normal web browser and surf the Clearnet, you are sending and receiving data directly to/from the sites you visit. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider), and whoever owns the websites (or the servers they are hosted on) have access to a whole lot of your data. They can see what sites you visit, what you download, and where you’re located.
Tor, short for The Onion Router, is a network designed to protect your privacy from all kinds of oversight. It routes your traffic through countless volunteer-operated servers, called nodes or relays. Each time your data passes through a node, it’s encrypted and re-encrypted in layers (like an onion), making it practically impossible for anyone to trace your connection back to you.
The idea is that even if one or two of these relays are compromised, your data will still be encrypted by the rest. And with thousands of independently owned nodes all over the world, not even a government has the capacity to compromise them all.
Was Tor Created by Darknet Criminals?
Ironically enough, Tor was originally developed by the U.S. Navy’s research arm in the 1990s as a way to protect classified communications. In the 2000s, the project became open source and the tech became an indispensable tool for journalists working in oppressive regimes, government whistleblowers, and just regular people looking to safeguard their online activity.
Of course, it was only a matter of time before criminal elements discovered the technology and employed it for illegal means. Anonymity is irresistible to criminals and scammers, which is exactly why the darknet remains such a risky venue. (More on that later.)
Who Uses the Darknet?
The stigma behind the darknet is mainly a result of negative coverage. And it’s no wonder – the only time we see the darknet make headlines, it’s because another malicious hacker was caught or a new illicit market was shut down. The truth is there are plenty of other uses for it, albeit none that are as newsworthy as a criminal enterprise. Here are some of the people who are empowered by Tor:
Journalists
The anonymity of the darknet allows for an unprecedented level of free speech and information sharing. This may not seem like a big deal for those living in the West, but in countries ruled by oppressive regimes, the darknet can be the only way to access unbiased information. Thanks to Tor, Journalists and activists who live in places overseen by hawkish censorship are able to publish stories without fear of reprisals.
Political dissidents and whistleblowers
Organizing a grassroots movement is difficult enough in democratic countries. In some places, the darknet is the only secure communication tool available to dissidents. And since no single entity has jurisdiction over the onion router, whistleblowers can use it to leak information that would otherwise land them in jail (or worse).
Researchers
We’re not sure who coined the phrase “scientific inquiry knows no bounds”, but it was definitely not a legal scholar. Researchers would love to apply for official grants to research topics like cybercrime or shadow economics, but that’s not possible due to understandable legal constraints. Well, with the darknet, researchers are able to gather unique, invaluable data and study subjects that have always been out of reach before Tor.
Curious Hobbyists & Developers
Some people are drawn to the darknet simply for the novelty and intrigue. Today, there’s entire online communities of people who explore the darknet in search of unique places, free resources, and like minded individuals.
Law Enforcement
There’s no smoke without a fire, and there’s no criminal activity without lurking law enforcement. Once the police realized how much illicit activity has migrated to Tor, they implemented numerous monitoring efforts to try keeping track of it. Though law enforcement is outmatched by the sheer amount of criminals online, they have been successful in taking down some very notable darknet kingpins over the years.
Darknet VS Deep Web
Contrary to common belief, the terms darknet and deep web refer to completely different parts of the Internet.
The deep web is composed of all the clearnet web pages that aren’t indexed by search engines. Technically speaking, your email inbox and your personal social media pages are located on the deep web. For the most part though, the deep web refers to sites that purposefully do not allow search engines to index them. These private sites are completely legal and anyone who knows their URLs can access them freely with the help of any regular, old browser.
On the other hand, the darknet is the sum of all .onion sites, which can only be accessed via the Tor network. It’s home to some illegal websites but not even the legal ones can be accessed by simply typing in the right URL in Chrome.
Tor VS VPN: Is There a Difference?
Effective online security requires multiple layers of redundancies. Though there are some similarities between the two, a VPN will never be a suitable replacement for the onion router in the context of the darknet.
When you activate a VPN, your signal is routed through the provider’s server, which does somewhat improve security. But the Tor network routes your activity through hundreds of different servers, encrypting it at every relay. In other words, if a VPN goes down or becomes compromised, so does your signal. With Tor, even if a dozen servers are down simultaneously, your activity is protected by all the other redundancies.
Using a VPN alone will also never get you to the actual darknet. Regular browsers like Mozilla and Chrome don’t allow you to access .onion sites, and there is no trusted alternative to the Tor Browser.
The Hidden Risks of The Darknet
Venturing into the darknet without knowing the risks is like walking blindfolded through a minefield—you may be fine for a while, but one wrong step can have serious consequences. The darknet is home to both legitimate and illegitimate activities, so navigating it irresponsibly can lead to security breaches, scams, or even legal trouble. Here’s a breakdown of the key dangers and how to avoid them.
Scams
The darknet is filled with scams, ranging from phishing sites to bogus services like jewelry “replicas” and self-proclaimed hackers for hire. Some of these insidious scams can trick you into paying for products or services that don’t exist. Others can mirror a site you trust to “phish” you into providing your login information.
How to avoid it:
● Research: Before navigating to a marketplace or service, invest the time to thoroughly research it. Start by looking up reviews on forums like Dread or The Hub. Check if other users vouch for the site's reliability, and don’t forget to verify the platform’s PGP signature to make sure you’re not being phished.
● Avoid places without escrow services: The golden rule is that every transaction that takes place on the darknet should be handled with an escrow, where your payment is held until you can confirm the transaction went as expected.
● Be realistic: You know what they say about things that seem too good to be true? Well, that goes twice for the darknet. The one common link between all scams is that they’re constantly looking for ways to lure in new victims.
Hackers
The darknet is full of sites set up to pass on malware, like trojan horses, spyware, or ransomware. These malicious programs can steal your data or potentially even give hackers remote control of your system.
How to avoid it
● Make sure you’re using the latest version of Tor. Most Tor patches are a direct response to new vulnerabilities. The project’s team tends to stay ahead of the curve, but they can’t protect you if you’re using an older version of the onion router.
● Always adhere to the darknet security best practices detailed in this guide.
● Only access darknet websites if you can verify their URL via their PGP signature or a trusted darknet resource like Dread or dark.fail.
Legal Repercussions
As we’ve already mentioned, your ISP has no access to your traffic, but it can still tell that you are using Tor. Combined with other factors, this can draw scrutiny from law enforcement, regardless of how you actually use the darknet. Depending on your intent and op-sec, that scrutiny can lead to pretty serious repercussions. That’s why we here at PlasBit always implore our users to tread carefully.
How to avoid it:
● Use a VPN or a bridge to mask your utilization of Tor from your ISP. They’ll still see you using a VPN, but that won’t raise nearly as many red flags.
● Utilize PGP encryption or Tails for all darknet-related communications. This way, even if the law gains access to your computer, they won’t be able to pinpoint any of your activity.
Cryptocurrency & The Darknet
Though the darknet has been around since the open-source launch of Tor in 2002, most people have never heard of it until the early 2010s. That’s because, without cryptocurrency, there was nothing “dark” about the darknet at all. It was a free, non-profit, global, anonymous communication tool – an internet without rules or borders.
Bitcoin’s launch in 2009 changed everything. Now, Tor can be used for encrypted transactions and communications. Although Bitcoin transactions are recorded on a public ledger, there were no KYC regulations that required you to link your identity to your BTC wallets. It was only a matter of time until global, anonymous marketplaces were introduced.
In its early days, Bitcoin was a solution in search of a problem. Struggling to find use cases and businesses that would accept it as payment, the cryptocurrency was seen as nothing more than a trend. The darknet was the only real proving ground Bitcoin had at the time. And before you judge Bitcoin for its past, consider that according to the UN, the only reason the U.S. dollar price didn’t crash during the 2008 financial crisis was because of the (non-onion) dark market.
The Silk Road: Pioneering Bitcoin Through Infamy
Probably the best-known use of Bitcoin on the darknet is through a marketplace called Silk Road, developed in 2011 by Ross Ulbricht. Operating on the Tor network, Silk Road allowed users to buy and sell illegal goods-mostly drugs-using Bitcoin to maintain their anonymity.
Silk Road wasn't launched just as an online drugstore, though. Ulbricht built it on the ideals of libertarianism, based on the vision of a world free from any kind of government control that could trade freely. Bitcoin enabled this: users could exchange value without ever having to disclose their identity or location.
Although it was shut down in 2013 and Ulbricht was sentenced to life, this infamous marketplace proved Bitcoin's potential as an anonymous currency. In the aftermath of Silk Road, dozens of other darknet markets came forward to take its place, although none have made quite the same impact as the original Silk Road.
In Conclusion
Accessing the darknet can be shockingly easy, yet doing it safely requires a good amount of attention to detail. Yes, the dark side of the internet is where anonymity and access to the Internet's hidden corners reside, but with incredible risks. Whether you use Tor, add on a VPN to protect your potential tracks extra carefully, or go all in with Tails OS, each has strengths and weaknesses in the context of how to get on the darknet. But most importantly, follow the security best practices to ensure your privacy and be fully aware of the risks: scamming, hackers, and even legal consequences. The darknet is a pretty handy tool, but once again only if you take some initiative in protecting yourself from it in a responsible way.
