Darkweb Research

The dark web has a new tool fueling the surge in digital deception: FraudGPT, a malicious twist on generative AI, weaponized for crime. Unlike conventional language models designed for productivity and research, FraudGPT is a premium large language model (LLM) marketed specifically to cybercriminals. Its purpose? Enabling fraud at scale with alarming sophistication.

The massive success of Netflix show Squid Game, and its recent arrival of Season 3, has revealed just how much we as an audience are drawn to dark, high-stakes game shows. While the show is fictional, we discovered a real-life equivalent that’s shockingly similar, thriving quietly with funding driven by blockchain technology.

On July 1st 2025, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against Russian-based Aeza Group, a bulletproof hosting provider accused of facilitating the infrastructure for major ransomware, information-stealer, and darknet criminal operations.

The dark web has long been a sanctuary for illicit activities around the world, with illegitimate businesses operating in secrecy and using cryptocurrencies to facilitate anonymous and often untraceable transactions.

Despite considerable efforts made by law enforcement agencies to prevent and seize these imports/exports, the nauseating scale and anonymity provided by the dark web have set forth a nearly insurmountable task.

The dark web is a hidden part of the internet, accessible only through specialized software, which ensures user activity remains anonymous