Following the success of its first edition, Searchlight Cyber publishes a new, comprehensive book about the dark web for security professionals and law enforcement

PORTSMOUTH, UK & WASHINGTON DC, US – Tuesday April 16th 2024

Searchlight Cyber, the dark web intelligence company, will launch the highly anticipated 2024 edition of The Practitioner's Guide To The Dark Web at RSA Conference in San Francisco. The latest edition is packed with brand new intelligence from the fast-moving dark web ecosystem and equips security professionals and law enforcement investigators with the latest essential insights to help them to effectively combat dark web threats.

Following the success of the first book, which saw more than 4,000 copies distributed, The Practitioner's Guide to the Dark Web: 2024 Edition continues the same mission to increase awareness of this often-misunderstood area of the internet and help investigators to understand where to begin in gathering dark web intelligence. It also reflects the fast-changing nature of the dark web, providing new insights into more dark web sites, as many of those featured in last year's book have been disrupted by law enforcement or opted for retirement over the past 12 months.

The initial release will feature a limited edition gold-leaf copy, exclusively available to attendees at RSA Conference on the 6th May or for those who request online, while copies last.

Key highlights of the 2024 edition:

• Fresh insights: New intelligence on sites, groups, and actors, including updated examples of escrow marketplaces, autoshops, hacking forums, and ransomware leak sites.
• Expanded coverage: New chapters on hacktivist groups, Initial Access Brokers, and cryptocurrencies, offering readers a comprehensive understanding of emerging trends.
• Foundational overview: An overview of the dark web and popular dark web networks, such as Tor, I2P, and ZeroNet - providing essential background for both new and returning readers.
• Strategic guidance: Actionable advice for law enforcement and cybersecurity professionals to effectively gather and utilize dark web intelligence.
• "Dark Web War Stories": Revisiting sites that have undergone significant changes since the 2023 edition.

Dr. Gareth Owenson, CTO and Co-Founder of Searchlight Cyber, said: "We created the first edition of The Practitioner's Guide to the Dark Web in 2023 to fulfil a specific purpose: to help law enforcement and cybersecurity professionals gain a better understanding of the dark web. This mission is just as vital a year on. We have been overwhelmed by the positive response to the Practitioner's Guide, which demonstrates how critical an understanding of the dark web has become for the security community.

“The 2024 edition shows just how quickly the dark web landscape evolves. We've seen particularly significant changes over the past year, with law enforcement action leading to closures and disruption in dark web activities. Even as we wrote this year's edition of the Practitioner's Guide, the Nemesis market was seized by law enforcement, the ransomware group LockBit was seriously disrupted in Operation Cronos, and BlackCat packed up shop for good. This edition underlines the ongoing battle against cybercriminal activities and how, by arming ourselves with the latest intelligence, we can more effectively neutralize the threats posed by the dark web.”

Copies of the book will be available at the Searchlight Cyber booth #1951 at RSA Conference in San Francisco. To request a copy of The Practitioner's Guide To The Dark Web, please visit this page, or email darkwebguide@slcyber.io.

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about searchlight cyber

Searchlight Cyber provides organizations with relevant and actionable dark web intelligence, to help them identify and prevent criminal activity. Founded in 2017 with a mission to stop criminals acting with impunity on the dark web, we have been involved in some of the world's largest dark web investigations and have the most comprehensive dataset based on proprietary techniques and ground-breaking academic research.