Dark web markets like WeTheNorth function as important sources of cyber threat intelligence for both exclusive and public market alike. Insikt Group has observed an increase in local dark web markets and predicts with moderate confidence that criminal underground sites such as WeTheNorth will remain to increase as international criminals look to center operations and stay clear of international law enforcement. As law enforcement cracks down on dark markets and threat stars move quickly to stand up replacement web sites, it is imperative for information security teams to monitor these sources for fraud, burglary, and targeting of staff members, and be able to stop fraudsters and cybercriminals before they utilize these tools to move through the assault chain. Recorded Future customers can access more information about WeTheNorth market and other darknet activity through Intelligence Cards in the Recorded Future platform.
The net can be divided into approximately 3 components. The first area is what we would call the public web or clear web– essentially all information that is publicly available to an average individual. The second is the deep web which comprises all information hidden behind a login wall surface and not indexed by an internet search engine. This comprises the vast majority of the internet (Facebook being an archetype). Price quotes placed this at hundreds of times the size of the clear web. Ultimately, there is the dark web, which calls for a specialized web browser such as TOR to access. See our article to read more about the distinction between the dark web vs deep web.
This Flare article will certainly provide insight into just how your organization can monitor the dark web for prospective account-takeover schemes and other criminal tasks that could influence your business. Dark Web Monitoring allows you to take a positive technique to cybersecurity, and actively search threats before they become data violations and ransomware attacks.
What makes WeTheNorth special is the sizes the managers have mosted likely to develop a marketplace that is ostensibly geared toward securing Canadian customers and sellers and cultivating a relatively refuge to total transactions. Their mission statement is “to provide a safe atmosphere so that Canadians have the ability to purchase securely, scam-free and away from the street physical violence, drugs and other products that are more powerful, cleaner and safer to use.
WetheNorth market grown cyber security program can considerably minimize the risk of your information being stolen and offered, nonetheless, no program is perfect. We recommend most firms perform routine dark web scans or take part in real-time dark web monitoring to recognize stolen credentials. Both of these approaches play a crucial role in data leakage avoidance and detection, which are always best techniques for organizations and must always be a priority.
Insikt Group scientists discovered concerns with the policing and classification of listings on WeTheNorth market. Lots of products are cross-posted and do not straighten with the category they are provided under. The administrator of the site, whose call information is also associated with other darknet markets, has not punished cross-category uploading and multiple listings, which could be a sign that their focus is still concentrated somewhere else, leaving WeTheNorth available to low-level drug sellers that wish to bypass market rules.
WeTheNorth is a new Canadian dark web marketplace that appears to be hosting a semi-safe room for citizens to offer illegal items and services. There are stringent rules in place and they have prohibited certain groups to assist the website be more legit and not attract a certain customers. Insikt Group courts that with moderate confidence that WeTheNorth market was likely created to change the currently debunked The Canadian Headquarters, which shut down in July 2021. Insikt Group’s Criminal Underground Team first discovered WeTheNorth in July 2021 in advertisements posted on open resource online forums such as Reddit. The brand-new market appears comparable in look to the now-debunked Empire market, Alpha Bay, and Torrez.
Organizations are concerned about the expansion of threats on the dark web. Also as cybersecurity budget plans have enhanced drastically over the past years, ransomware, phishing and other cyber threats have grown in strength and frequency. For example, Flare’s Research team determined a surge in ransomware attacks from 2020 to 2021– a total increase of 437%. Naturally, the number of victims of ransomware attacks have also been rising rapidly. Clearly, a vast and nontransparent underground economy has developed that sell stolen passwords, stolen charge card numbers, ransomware as a service, and other immoral goods and services.
The types of deals that occur on WeTheNorth are mainly illegal and undermine any type of appearance of legitimacy. The most preferred sales are drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, and party drugs, yet WeTheNorth marketplace also enables the sale of electronic items such as stolen bank card, login credentials, gain access to, software and hardware ventures, fraud tutorials, and more.
