Dark Web Criminal Investigations

Anything illicit can be found on the dark web, including criminal activities such as drug, human, and arms trafficking, intellectual property theft, dirty prescriptions, card cloning, illegal credentials, hackers for hire, spam and ransomware development, money laundering, cryptocurrency tumbling, murder for hire, blackmail/extortion, red rooms, etc. When conducting criminal investigations across the nets (surface, deep, and dark), criminal investigators need to able to identify artifacts, including dark web addresses, encryption keys, virtual private networks, cryptocurrency exchanges, wallets, marketplaces, private chat rooms, and platforms, P2P links, data dumpsites, compromised data, de-hashing data, etc.; as well as tracing and tracking individuals through the nets, including the dark web.

This course will focus on criminals and the dark web. Diving deep into the internet and the anonymity of criminals, this course will assist in learning how the dark web functions and how to gather complex data using OSINT and private software tools. Many different case studies and hands-on examples will be provided.

This course will give hands-on skill development utilizing dark web investigation software. Attendees will be emailed directions and user keys the week before the course begins. This course comprises case studies, investigative examples, live demonstrations, the instructor's investigations, famous case studies such as Silk Road, WannaCry, AlphaBay, etc., and hands-on learning. The hands-on learning will be comprised of tracing a team of offenders from the surface web to hidden chats on the dark web. (2-day event)

Law enforcement participation with technology is voluntary but highly recommended, as they are not required to download the software and conduct any investigations. However, if LE decides to participate, ensure they bring a computer that the IT Department will not restrict.

Upon Completion:

Participants will be able to:

1. Learn about the different levels and history of the internet.
   1. Surface, deep, dark web, metaverse, and Web 3
   2. Why does it matter?
2. Understand policing and investigations of the decentralized platform, the deep and dark web.
3. Learn about the different crimes across the deep and dark web.
4. Learn how to navigate the deep/dark web during investigations safely.
5. Learn to identify artifacts, such as dark web addresses, encryption keys, VPNs, marketplaces, chat rooms and platforms, compromised data, data dumps, etc.
6. Learn the different gateways to the deep and dark web other than TOR.
7. Gain hands-on experience navigating and investigating the dark web.
8. Learn about smart technology and digital evidence.
   1. Gain access to tracing and tracking software.
   2. Surface, deep, and dark web tools.
9. Understand the differences between cybercrime and white/black hat hackers.
10. Learn ethical and legal hacking.
11. Learn how organized crime and particular crimes are vital in the dark web.
12. Learn about the trainers' case studies, famous cases such as Silk Road, WannaCry, etc., and how they relate to the dark web and crime.
13. The future of online criminals and building bridges amongst police, academics, and agencies.