Top 10 Open Source Tools for Dark Web Monitoring

The dark web harbors a vast array of criminal activity, from marketplaces selling stolen data and illegal goods to forums for hackers and cybercriminals. Organizations that neglect this hidden threat landscape leave themselves vulnerable to attacks, breaches, and other malicious actions.

Proactively monitoring the dark web empowers businesses to stay ahead of potential threats. By scouring these hidden corners, it’s possible to identify compromised data, impending attacks, and emerging threats before they strike. This translates to better protection for sensitive information, intellectual property, and overall cybersecurity.

Effective dark web monitoring requires specialized tools. In today’s interconnected world, dark web monitoring isn’t just a strategic investment – it’s an essential part of any robust risk management plan.

Why use open source tools for dark web monitoring?

As the need to keep an eye on the dark web increases so does the need for effective, free, open source tools. There are significant advantages for using free open source tools, such as the cost effectiveness.
As open source tools are normally free or come at a significantly reduced price compared to they are a good choice for organizations that want to be cost-effective or want to try out the tool.

The transparency of the open source tools enables organizations to scrutinize the software for possible security shortcomings and make sure it works as expected thereby increasing trust and dependability.

The ability to customize the tool makes it possible to make adjustments that fit with a company’s unique requirements. Organizations that use open source tools can find flexibility without being committed to any particular vendor; they can switch from one to the other and find a way to combine many different tools as they wish. 

However, there are some disadvantages of open source tools. Most free tools tend to require a greater deal of technical expertise. Setup, configuration, and subsequent maintenance may require highly skilled personnel with the time to devote to operating and maintaining this particular tool. Sometimes a free dark web scan tool does not integrate with existing systems or other proprietary software. This could mean additional time will be spent on customization and troubleshooting to get the desired uses.

Unlike paid tools with dedicated support teams, free tools often leave you without official customer help if you encounter issues. While this is offset by community support, it can be less reliable and less timely. The fact that open source projects attract a very active community of contributors, including developers and users who provide feedback to help in improving those tools, is a great advantage.

Although open source tools are available, their quality and reliability cannot be guaranteed.
Many of these projects lack proper documentation, poor maintenance, and infrequent updates. An organization must opt for tools that have good support and are under active development with proper care.

Although transparency is an advantage in itself, at the same time, it can also prove to be quite a disadvantage. Threat actors can research the openly published source code to find vulnerabilities and exploit them, a thing that may harm the organization and the data.

 Top Open-Source Dark Web Monitoring Tools

1. Ahmia.fi 

Ahmia addresses the distinct challenge of navigating the Tor Network’s structure. It focuses on indexing onion URLs within the Tor network, establishing one of the most extensive deep web indexes available. By collecting these URLs, Ahmia grants users access to otherwise concealed content. Additionally, Ahmia’s open-source platform allows users to view its source code, empowering them to create their own index and crawler for customized dark web exploration. Ahmia provides a clear interface similar to traditional search engines, making it usable even for those who are not deeply familiar with the Tor network.

• Used by security researchers, law enforcement, journalists, and people interested in the dark and deep web.

2. Onion Scan

The goal is to streamline researching, monitoring, and tracking sites on the dark web for people who want to check their own anonymous sources and those who want to investigate them. Its code is available in GitHub. 

• Used by dark web operatives, security researchers, and law enforcement.  

3. Censys 

It acts as a powerful internet scanner, offering deep visibility into the infrastructure of networks and all the devices connected to them. Censys continuously scans the open and dark web, identifying devices, services, and potential vulnerabilities. This comprehensive scanning allows researchers to discover a massive number of compromised devices or services before they’re exploited.

• Used by cybersecurity personnel for vulnerability research.

4. Tor2Web   

A software that allows access to Tor Onion Services using any ordinary web browser while there is no need for the client to connect to the Tor network. The project tries to make Tor hidden services more convenient for people using regular software. It acts as a gateway service for Tor2web and translates requests from a regular web browser into something understood by the Tor network. By using this tool, research teams can spot dark web marketplaces and forums to analyze them for threats and vulnerabilities in general,and enhance threat intelligence and response capabilities.

• Used by general users who want easy access to Onion sites, journalists, and people in restricted areas. 

5. Shodan

A search engine for scanning and indexing devices connected to the internet that also provides access to extensive real-time data about servers, routers, webcams and any device connecting online. Users can identify the exposed devices and their vulnerabilities, enabling them to find exposed devices and services that might be discussed or traded on dark web forums. Those abilities are what makes it a great tool for dark web monitoring and help to identify and track compromised devices, follow potential threats, and gain intelligence on current vulnerabilities that are actively being exploited on the dark web. 

• Used by potential threat actors, network administrators, IoT researchers, law enforcement, and security professionals.

6. ExoneraTor 

A free dark web scanning tool that checks whether an IP address was part of the Tor network at any given time. This helps researchers to identify whether an IP address behind a scanning or other type of malicious activity was indeed a Tor exit node. Some key features include IP address and date data lookups, along with historical records of Tor nodes.
Tor anonymizes traffic, making data breach investigations more challenging. Cybersecurity teams encountering Tor IPs may need to adapt their approach for the dark web.

• Used by Tor relay operators and law enforcement. 

7. Onion Search Engine 

A privacy-focused tool designed to navigate dark web data sources and access onion sites without tracking or storing user data. Onion Search Engine does not use cookies or JavaScript to ensure maximum user anonymity. This makes it particularly valuable for dark web monitoring, as it allows research teams to securely search for and investigate hidden services within the Tor network. Users can search for specific keywords related to stolen data across onion sites, identifying forums or marketplaces where the data might be discussed or sold, all while maintaining anonymity and operational security.

• Used by security researchers, law enforcement, journalists, market researchers.

8. TorBot 

OWASP TorBot is a free dark web scanning tool written in Python, designed for crawling hidden websites with .onion addresses. Its features include retrieving page titles, addresses, and brief descriptions, saving crawl data to JSON files, crawling custom domains, and checking the live status of links. A research team investigating a data breach can use TorBot to efficiently gather and monitor relevant dark web pages, enhancing their ability to respond to threats effectively. The project welcomes contributions and its code is available on GitHub.

• Used by security researchers and analysts, law enforcement, and individuals seeking privacy.

9. Onion Search Land

A search engine designed to make it easier to discover dark web data sources and onion sites on the Tor network. It has such features as strong search and privacy protection by not storing any user data. Onion Search Land is a well known and appreciated tool to researchers when looking for forums, marketplaces, or other hidden services on the dark web with regard to scrutinizing illegal activities.

• Used by security researchers, law enforcement, and journalists. 

10. Hunchly 

Designed to be the go-to tool for free dark web monitoring that helps the investigator by systematically capturing and analyzing web pages. The tool saves visited pages, along with complete data, metadata, and even screenshots, for perfect documentation, which makes the platform useful in tracing illicit activities on the dark web. Features like offline workability, and thematic organization of data make it user-friendly. While Hunchly offers a user-friendly interface, some of its advanced features might be more appealing to users comfortable with navigating complex online research.

• Used by professionals conducting in-depth research as well as general users. 

How to choose the right dark web monitoring tool

When weighing the choice between the variety of available open source and free dark web monitoring tools, you have to decide what is the most important feature for your needs. If that is code transparency from an or cost-efficiency, turn to the products mentioned above. When evaluating dark web scanning tools look for one that provides the best coverage across different layers of the web, offers stable and reliable access to data, uses AI-powered query builders, and alerts you of potential threats. 

Lunar, by Webz.io, provides an all-inclusive, reliable, and efficient solution for organizations looking to enhance their arsenal in terms of cybersecurity and dark web activity monitoring. Lunar offers wide coverage across the dark, deep, and open web, with emphasis on leading darknet engines such as Tor, I2P and Telegram coverage. The wide scope ensures that no potential threat goes unnoticed, as it traces active breaches, stealer logs, and other dark web data sources across these networks. 

Lunar offers a reliable, always-on gateway to comprehensive dark web data, crucial for timely threat detection and response. Unlike some open-source tools, which can be unstable and written in less robust languages, Lunar guarantees consistent data access. An uninterrupted flow of data ensures you can maintain a strong cybersecurity posture without worrying about gaps in monitoring. Standout features include a simple, user-friendly interface, smart filters and dynamic charts for efficient data analysis, plus an AI query builder to ease the effort of creating complicated search queries. 

With features tailored to different user needs, Lunar empowers everyone to navigate the vast sea of dark web data quickly and efficiently. This lets users pinpoint relevant threats with a level of detail that surpasses basic open-source tools.

Lunar provides a continuous, dependable gateway pertaining to comprehensive dark web data, all of which is very critical for timely threat detection and response without the threat of crashing and resulting in potential gaps in monitoring.

What this means for your business

Open-source tools offer a compelling option for some users, particularly those comfortable with technical aspects and willing to invest time in customization. These tools can be highly customizable and offer a wider range of access points (depending on the specific tool). However, they may require more technical expertise to set up and maintain, and stability can be a concern. Lunar, on the other hand, excels in providing comprehensive coverage across multiple dark web networks (Tor, I2P, Telegram) and ensures reliable data access. Its user-friendly features, like smart filters, dynamic charts, and an AI query builder, accelerate threat identification. Additionally, real-time alerts empower you to react swiftly to emerging threats, minimizing risk.

Ready to take your dark web monitoring to the next level?
Learn how Lunar by Webz.io provides comprehensive, reliable coverage to keep your organization safe from hidden threats.