The Deep Web: Everything You Need to Know

The Deep Web is the part of the Internet that is not indexed by standard search engines.

The name was first given by Mike Bergman, the founder at BrightPlaner. He mentioned that the modern internet is similar to

“dragging a net across the surface of the ocean: a great deal may be caught in the net, but there is a wealth of information that is deep and, therefore, missed”

The huge pile of information is hidden in websites that standard search engines are unable to find or index. The deep web holds more than 96% of the Internet’s information and the most users are not even aware of it.

Modern search engines are unable to find the content located in the deep web. The part of the web indexed by the most used search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo is called the surface web.

The deep web is different from the dark internet. Later consists of devices and systems that are unable to be reached using the Internet. Therefore, Darknet is considered to be a subsection of the Deep Web.

How is the Deep Web Not Indexed?

• Dynamic Pages returned as a response to a query or accessed only through a contact or any other type of form.
• Unlinked Content or pages that are in no way linked to other internet content. This method prevents search engine crawlers from analyzing pages.
• Private Web or resources that require user ID and passwords in order to use.
• Contextual Web Pages that have a different content from access contexts.
• Sites that Restrict Access to their web pages using CAPTCHA or other methods.
• Scripted Content only accessible using JavaScript links and dynamically downloaded content.
• Non-HTML/text content encoded in images and videos.
• Software content accessible only using a specially crafted software like Tor and l2P

How to Use the Deep Web Safely?

Before accessing the deep web, it is always a good idea to protect your identity and system. Remember that by securing your identity online you are probably protecting yourself in real life. Below we present you several methods for protecting yourself:

• Hiding Private Information
  • Never answer questions that you are asked on the deep web and never provide private information (email, password, name, ID, address and etc.) in any way. Malicious players are able to identify users by asking simple questions on the deep web.
• AV Software
  • Having some kind of an automatic protection system is never a bad idea. Using antivirus software will protect your computer and files from malware.
• Always Update
  • Keep your OS, drivers, browsers and especially Tor updated to latest version. If you are following our blog, you would know that developers often provide updates in order to fix important security issues.
• Stop Using JavaScript and Plug-ins.
  • Scripts and plugins often give away information about users browser, location, configuration and sometimes cookies. Disclosure of such information to hackers might lead to undesired consequences.
  • Keep NoScript turned on in order to stop using scripts.
• Data Encryption
  • Encrypt your data with advanced encryption tools similar to TrueCrypt. Data encryption helps you to prevent others read your information or infect your computer with Ransomware and other crypto malware.
• Recommended Browsers and Software
  • Chromium
  • LibreOffice
  • GIMP
  • Linux

Do you have anything to add? Share your opinion in comments.