Executive Summary

This report explains the useful ways to gather information from the deep and dark web, focusing on how this helps fight terrorism and cybercrime. It addresses definitions, strategic considerations, legal frameworks, operational security, and technical tools utilised in dark web investigations.

The report targets practitioners in government agencies, security services, and private-sector intelligence teams operating in complex digital threat environments.

The Digital Terrain: Definitions and Strategic Relevance

The internet comprises three distinct layers, each relevant to different dimensions of intelligence work.

The surface web refers to content readily accessible and indexed by standard search engines. This segment constitutes a small percentage of the internet—less than 5%—and lacks significant operational intelligence for covert or harmful actions.

The deep web encompasses all content that is not indexed by traditional search engines. It includes university databases, password-protected portals, subscription-based information repositories, and internal communication platforms. Although much of the deep web is benign, we can derive intelligence value from unindexed forums, private extremist blogs, and academic encryption networks. It serves as a bridge between open and clandestine content.

The dark web is a concealed subsection of the deep web, intentionally hidden and accessible only through anonymising technologies, such as the Tor Browser (The Onion Router) and I2P (Invisible Internet Project). It is the primary hub for cybercriminal infrastructure, illicit marketplaces, extremist propaganda, and covert communication. Hidden services host dark web sites using “.onion” domains, unreachable through traditional browsers.

Intelligence Objectives in Deep and Dark Web Environments

Intelligence collection across the digital terrain supports several high-priority missions, particularly in counterterrorism intelligence (CTI) and cyber threat intelligence (CTI). Core objectives include:

• Monitoring of extremist group communications and propaganda dissemination.
• Identification of planning activities relating to attacks, recruitment, and radicalisation.
• Tracking of exploit kits, malware toolkits, and active ransomware-as-a-service offerings.
• Monitoring of breach data, leaked credentials, and sensitive documents.
• Detection of early indicators of cyberattack campaigns, including Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) and infrastructure setup.
• Profiling threat actors, their linguistic and behavioural patterns, and their operational tradecraft.

Ideologically and financially motivated groups leverage the dark web not just for transactions, but also for planning and recruiting members. Counterterrorism professionals face new intelligence challenges from jihadist forums, encrypted chats, and decentralised platforms, demanding unconventional methods.

Operational Security Considerations

Before initiating collection activities, the intelligence analyst must rigorously apply operational security (OPSEC) measures. To maintain anonymity and isolation during investigations, the intelligence analyst can use dedicated Virtual Machine (VMs) or live operating systems (OS) such as Tails OS. Route all traffic through anonymisation layers—either Tor alone or with a VPN.

JavaScript and browser fingerprinting techniques used on the dark web can compromise both anonymity and the collection process. It is critical to disable unnecessary scripts, remove identifying metadata, and obscure browsing signatures.

Persona management (the creation and maintenance of fictitious online identities) is central to the infiltration of closed communities. To be credible, these personas must reflect linguistic styles, forum histories, and behavioural patterns within their context. Many dark web forums regulate trust through reputation systems, such as escrow scores and peer endorsements. The successful use of such personas requires sustained interaction and familiarity with the subcultural lexicon of the target environment.

Collection Strategy and Platform-Specific Dynamics

Intelligence collection must follow a structured methodology aligned with the Intelligence Cycle (a five-step process comprising planning, collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination). Each operation should begin with the definition of Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIRs)—the specific questions to be answered by the investigation.

Target environments include dark web marketplaces, private forums, encrypted messaging applications (Telegram, Matrix, Tox), and decentralised communication protocols. Access thresholds, encryption levels, and user behaviour vary across platforms. Entry into restricted forums often requires invitation or demonstration of technical skill, further reinforcing the need for credible persona development and HUMINT-emulated (Human Intelligence-like) engagement tactics.

When interacting with people, collection teams should start cautiously, remaining passive initially before gradually becoming more active, as permitted and ethically sound.

Tools for Deep and Dark Web Intelligence Collection

Intelligence investigators widely use the following tools, available in freeware or open-source formats. They support both technical reconnaissance and structured collection efforts:

1. Tor Browser – Primary gateway for accessing .onion domains.
2. Tails OS – Secure, amnesiac operating system that leaves no trace on the host machine.
3. Whonix – Privacy-centric operating system that routes all traffic through Tor, designed for use within VMs.
4. Maltego CE – Visual link analysis platform, useful for mapping associations between darknet identities and infrastructure.
5. OnionScan – Tool for auditing hidden services for security flaws and metadata leaks.
6. Ahmia – A clearnet search engine indexing .onion services and surface web references to darknet sites.
7. Hunchly – A browser extension for forensic capture and evidence preservation, useful in legal environments.
8. ExifTool – Metadata extractor for analysing images or files leaked on the dark web.

The intelligence analyst must integrate these tools within broader digital forensics workflows and align them with internal chain-of-custody and evidentiary standards.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

Collection efforts in the dark web domain must remain within the bounds of national and international law. In particular, analysts must refrain from downloading or interacting with illegal content, including child sexual exploitation material (CSEM), classified state documents, and controlled substances. Even accidental exposure to this material could cause criminal charges or jeopardise operational security.

Wherever possible, analysts should liaise with internal legal advisors and ensure compliance with frameworks such as the Council of Europe’s Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. Private-sector actors should be cautious when engaging with darknet entities, as their actions may be subject to both criminal law and civil liabilities.

Intelligence Reporting and Strategic Dissemination

After collection, the analyst must triage, correlate, and validate the intelligence. The intelligence investigator might use structured formats such as STIX (Structured Threat Information Expression) and TAXII (Trusted Automated Exchange of Indicator Information) to share data with other entities, including Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) and law enforcement.

Final reporting should include:

• Executive summaries and key findings.
• Visual mapping of threat actor networks and technical infrastructure.
• Risk assessments tailored to stakeholders.
• Analytic judgments supported by verifiable data points and source grading.

Where relevant, intelligence products should incorporate threat models, attack chains, and mappings to frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK to contextualise adversary capabilities and behaviours.

Conclusion

As the digital underground develops, intelligence practitioners must adapt their methodologies to maintain strategic advantage. The deep and dark web continues to serve as an incubator for radicalisation, cybercrime, and state-aligned covert activity. Mastery of this environment requires a combination of technical acumen, cultural fluency, and analytical discipline.

Intelligence professionals are responsible for data collection and interpretation, while also maintaining operational integrity, respecting legal limits, and delivering actionable intelligence to inform tactical and strategic decision-making.

Author: Giuliano Bifolchi

For individuals seeking to acquire both theoretical foundations and practical expertise in Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and Web Intelligence, SpecialEurasia invites you to contact us directly at info@specialeurasia.com or visit our dedicated page Training & Courses to learn more about our specialised training courses tailored for intelligence professionals.