E-commerce markets offering illicit substances, digital contraband, fraudster tools and other criminal wares continue to thrive.
Many buyers and sellers of such goods and services rely on darknet markets. But no market lives forever, and whenever a major player gets disrupted, users scatter. Some flock to rival services, others start up new options, and underground chatter intensifies over how to better camouflage activities using encrypted chat apps or services (see: Why Darknet Markets Persist).
To better safeguard administrators and users from law enforcement, multiple drug-focused darknet markets last year began testing new strategies: Only displaying items for sale to pre-vetted members and providing them with Android apps built using the M-Club engine. So far it’s counted seven drug shops using that engine; they may all be working with the same developer.
Over the past year, cybersecurity firm Resecurity reports it’s seen multiple “underground drug shops” pursue these strategies.
