The Dark Crawler

Following well-documented Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election and in the Brexit referendum in the U.K., law enforcement, intelligence agencies and social network providers worldwide have expressed growing interest in identifying and interdicting disinformation warfare. This paper reports on a research project being conducted by the International CyberCrime Research Centre (ICCRC) at Simon Fraser University (Canada) in cooperation with the Department of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of Strathclyde (Scotland). The […]

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Hackers have established large online communities in the form of online discussion forums. These forums help hackers with their goals: to hack, commit credit card/identity fraud or theft, launder money, and carry out digital attacks on physical infrastructure. There is need from security organizations and law enforcement to monitor these activities to identify individuals of interest, emerging threats and malware, and develop effective disruption strategies. However, as studies have consistently shown that as these communities […]

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Researchers have previously explored how right-wing extremists build a collective identity online by targeting their perceived “threat,” but little is known about how this “us” versus “them” dynamic evolves over time. This study uses a sentiment analysis-based algorithm that adapts criminal career measures, as well as semi-parametric group-based modeling, to evaluate how users’ anti-Semitic, anti-Black, and anti-LGBTQ posting behaviors develop on a sub-forum of the most conspicuous white supremacy forum. The results highlight the extent […]

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Online hacking forums have been used as communities where users, possibly cybercriminals, can learn and exchange knowledge, and purchase the necessary tools and information to commit various offences such as hacking, credit card/identity fraud, money laundering, and even cyberattacks on infrastructure. Monitoring these forums and identifying key players are important when investigating emergent threats and developing efficient disruption strategies. Literature shows the lack of studies regarding users’ cross-forum activity. This paper presents an analysis of […]

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The dark web is a concealed portion of the Internet that can only be accessed through specialized software. Although multiple dark web technologies exist, with a common trait of using encryption to enforce anonymity, the Tor network remains the most prominent dark web network. To visit websites on the network, the user must use a heavily modified Firefox browser. The use of encryption to achieve anonymity poses a significant challenge for law enforcement that wishes […]

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