Dark Internet

A dark Internet or dark address refers to any or all unreachable network hosts on the Internet.

The dark Internet should not be confused with either deep web or darknet. Whereas deep web and darknet stand for hard-to-find websites and secretive networks that sometimes span across the Internet, the dark Internet is any portion of the Internet that can no longer be accessed through conventional means.^[1][2]

Causes

Failures within the allocation of Internet resources due to the Internet's chaotic tendencies of growth and decay are a leading cause of dark address formation. One of the leading causes of dark addresses is military sites on the archaic MILNET. These government networks are sometimes as old as the original Arpanet, and have simply not been incorporated into the Internet's changing architecture. It is also speculated that hackers utilize malicious techniques to hijack private routers to either divert traffic or mask illegal activity. Through use of these private routers a dark Internet can form and be used to conduct all manner of misconduct on the Internet.^[3][4]

Security concerns

The dark Internet received attention in 2001 when many security organizations, including Arbor Networks, identified rogue dark networks as a potential farm for denial-of-service attacks and other illegal activity.^[5]

References

1. ^ Expedition to the lost net from BBC (December 26, 2001)
2. ^ The Dark Internet, a report from CR&T
3. ^ Dark web space hides net nasties from vnunet (November 14, 2001)
4. ^ The dark side of the Internet from The Guardian (November 26, 2009)
5. ^ Trends in Denial of Service Attack Technology (PDF) from CERT (October 2001)

Additional reading

• DarkNET Conglomeration
• STS DarkNET
• Expedition to the lost net from BBC (December 26, 2001)
• How terrorists use the Internet, ABC Australia interview with Professor Hsinchun Chen.