Digital Risk Protection Threat Intelligence Dark Web Monitoring Cybersecurity Platforms Security Tools By leveraging automated dark web monitoring, organizations can mitigate risks, and take preventive measures before the leaked data is exploited. Manual monitoring of the dark web is inefficient and risky due to the sheer volume of data involved. In addition to its emphasis on stolen credentials, 2easy Market offers a variety of cybercrime tools, such as hacking services, exploit kits, and other resources for conducting cyberattacks. This platform has rapidly become a key player in the fraud market, trading in PII and SSH credentials while making use of both the clear and dark web.
- Valued at approximately $15 million, Abacus Market is one of the most lucrative platforms in the dark web ecosystem.
- It’s been a constant back-and-forth between cybercriminals and law enforcement, with each new site trying to be smarter and more secure than the last.
- Some fake sellers take your crypto and never ship what you ordered, or phishing sites that look like real marketplaces but steal your login info.
- The Russian Market has been around since 2019 and is one of the more prominent dark web marketplaces.
- We also accept a variety of payment methods, including the option to pay with Abacus darknet url, ensuring maximum flexibility and anonymity for our customers.
Abacus Market: A Reputable Dark Web Marketplace
No, it is not illegal to access the Dark Web or use Tor.However, accessing illegal content (e.g., child exploitation material, drug markets) is a crime. Even platforms like Netflix, which require paid access, are technically part of the Deep Web. Another notable trend is the rise of encrypted peer-to-peer (P2P) messaging systems integrated directly within marketplaces, providing secure communication channels between buyers and sellers. This article reveals the top 10 dark web markets dominating in 2025, their unique characteristics, and the critical implications for enterprise cybersecurity.
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Following the 2022 shutdown of Hydra Market, TRM identified new Russian-language darknet markets emerging that by 2024 accounted for more than 97% of global darknet drug revenues. Furthermore, following Archetyp’s law enforcement seizure in June, 2025, many of its users flooded Abacus Market, leading to the latter’s largest ever monthly sales volume of USD 6.3 million in June 2025. This signals a growing preference among darknet operators for obfuscation and anti-surveillance tools. TRM Labs analysis shows that nearly half of the marketplaces launched in 2024 accepted only Monero — a sharp increase from just over one-third in 2023. In late June 2025, users began reporting withdrawal issues with Abacus Market, which typically indicates an impending exit scam.
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For cybersecurity professionals, focusing on payment methods, vendor migration, and marketplace specialisation offers the most effective path to actionable intelligence. Darknet marketplaces in 2025 illustrate a resilient and evolving underground economy. Focusing intelligence collection on specialised marketplaces yields better ROI for threat detection and proactive defence. BidenCash and other exit-scam markets such as Torzon and Kingdom Market collapsed between 2022 and 2024. Privacy-focused operators are shifting to Monero due to its default anonymity, compared to Bitcoin’s transparent ledger Darknet markets see BTC inflow drop to $2B. Meanwhile, frustrated users have taken to darknet forums, warning others to avoid depositing funds into Abacus until the situation stabilizes.
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However, these explanations failed to restore user confidence, leading to a sharp decline in daily deposits. The unfolding of the suspected exit scam began with user complaints about delayed withdrawals. However, this figure likely underestimates the true volume, as the marketplace also heavily supported Monero (XMR), a privacy-focused cryptocurrency that accounts for at least two-thirds of all transactions on Abacus due to its enhanced anonymity features. By last year, it commanded a dominant 70% of the Western darknet market landscape. While law enforcement operations can sometimes result in “silent” takedowns, the lack of any official seizure banner or announcement from authorities makes an exit scam the more probable explanation. The unexpected nature of Abacus’s disappearance, coupled with prior reports of withdrawal difficulties, strongly points towards this fraudulent scheme, leaving countless users and vendors with potentially lost funds.
TRM Labs speculates the Abacus operators could have also “lost motivation to continue” or chose to exit the ecosystem to “preserve their freedom and financial gains.” “Marketplaces that reach the top of the ecosystem, in terms of volume, user base, listings, and reputation, often become priority targets for law enforcement,” TRM Labs said. Its share of the Bitcoin-supporting Western dark market ecosystem also spiked to over 70%, following ASAP’s closure and the law enforcement seizure of Incognito Market in March 2024. “Faced with the decision between profit seeking and self-preservation, Abacus’s admins likely chose the latter in light of Archetyp’s seizure and the surge in new users that elevated Abacus’s profile. “Marketplaces that reach the top of the ecosystem, in terms of volume, user base, listings, and reputation, often become priority targets for law enforcement.
At the time, it had over 600,000 users, 17,000 listings, and approximately €250 million in transactions. Russian Market has operated since 2019, specialising in stolen credentials, stealer logs, and remote desktop access. This survey highlights active and recently shuttered markets with actionable metrics and intelligence for threat hunters, CISOs, and red team leaders. Darknet is your best source for the latest hacking tools, hacker news, cyber security best practices, ethical hacking & pen-testing. For now, the uncertainty continues, with users left to wonder whether Abacus will recover—or if their money is already gone.
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As a result, law enforcement has adopted an intelligence-led enforcement strategy incorporating DNM takedowns into longer-term investigations rather than treating them as end goals.” It specialized mainly in drugs and precursor chemicals, but also sold cybercrime tools, fraud services, counterfeit goods and even infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) accounts. Archetyp’s recent takedown followed this pattern and likely influenced Abacus’s trajectory,” said TRM Labs. It’s possible that Abacus went offline due to law enforcement activity, although there’s been no word yet from any such authorities.
Emerging Darknet Marketplaces Of 2025 Anatomy Tactics & Trends
Additionally, it offers automatic purchases, buyer protection, and even a loyalty points program.Since its launch, it has conducted several massive data leaks. It operates both on the dark web and the clear web, making access significantly easier. Everything is conducted within the Tor network, with payments made in Bitcoin or Monero, as is customary.One of its most curious features is its daily raffle system, funded by the market's commissions. It offers over 20,000 listings ranging from narcotics and forged documents to hacking software and fraud tools. By 2025, it is already a key player for those involved in the business of data theft and trafficking. With constant updates and new providers entering the market, Exodus is positioning itself as a major player in the digital underworld of credential theft.
It is considered very secure thanks to strict user validations and transparent payment and vendor review procedures. It has gained a reputation for being a reliable source of high-quality data for cybercriminals. The platform’s popularity continues to grow, attracting both new and returning customers.
- The market exclusively supports Monero (XMR) and employs a simple payment system for each order, attracting a niche user base.
- Although some of these markets prohibit certain extreme content such as violence or exploitation, most operate with very few rules beyond ensuring the security and anonymity of their users.
- The market has become the go-to place for individuals looking to purchase malware, exploit kits, and software vulnerabilities.
- The market emphasizes anonymity and security, conducting transactions exclusively through cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Monero.
- By far the largest darknet market by volume was Hydra, launched in late 2015 in Russia.
- As these platforms grow in size and profitability, they attract increased law enforcement scrutiny and internal risks.
Although it served a global audience, it particularly focused on the Australian market, incorporating Australian cultural references into its marketing and recruiting an Australia-dedicated moderator. Abacus’s exit follows the June 16, 2025 law enforcement seizure of Archetyp Market, marking the latest in a series of shutdowns in the Western DNM ecosystem. Another theory is that administrators may have voluntarily left the market due to increased regulatory scrutiny. Vito eventually stopped communicating entirely, aligning with typical exit scam patterns observed in other darknet sites like Evolution Market. Many users migrated to Abacus, causing the site’s monthly sales volume to jump to $6.3 million. In the days that followed, Abacus Market’s entire online presence, including its mirror sites, went offline without a trace, cementing the community’s belief that their funds have been stolen in a sophisticated and lucrative exit scam.
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Freshtools is a unique marketplace in that it does not only provide the stolen data, but it allows criminals to purchase MaaS which can cause further damage to the victims. What’s the difference between classic marketplaces and data stores? It is also recognized for hosting underground black markets(darknet markets), whistleblowing platforms, and discussion boards that champion freedom of speech. In the interim, many in the DNM community will assume the marketplace performed an exit scam and continue their activity on other platforms.
