I spent a day on the Dark Web [Part 1]

By Kim Komando

February 26, 2025

Kim Komando

When I say Dark Web, what comes to mind? A hacker in a hoodie? Digital drug deals and hitmen for hire? Usually what our imagination cooks up is a lot more dramatic than reality. But when it comes to the Dark Web, not so much.

I fired up the Tor browser and went digging into the underbelly of the internet. I’ll show you what I found, but first, what the heck is the Dark Web?

The sites you visit are the tip of the iceberg

Beneath the surface is a hidden part of the internet that isn’t indexed by search engines. The deep web is everything inaccessible to the public for safety, security and privacy reasons, like your specific bank account page, medical records, company databases, cloud storage accounts, private blogs and social media pages, forums that require a login and lots more.

Then there’s the Dark Web, a hidden corner of the deep web that requires special tools to access. There are above-board uses, like covertly contacting journalists if you’re in an unsafe situation. Whistleblowers often use the Dark Web to get their messages out.

Then there are the shadier parts

Like hacking forums, illegal marketplaces and all manner of perverse content. The Dark Web is filled with malware and scams, and law enforcement is there, too, watching for funny business. Simply put: If you don’t know what you’re doing, stay out.

Note: There is absolutely child sexual abuse material on the Dark Web, and it’s not hard to find. I stayed away.

👉 Guns, ammo and silencers

Throw a dart (digitally speaking) and you can find a gun for sale on the Dark Web. One site I landed on was hawking AK-47s for $1,200. This site sells ammo ($60 for 100 rounds to go with the AK-47) and silencers, too. Those start at $600. 

Standard shipping is included, express is an extra $30 and “dead drop” shipping will cost you an extra $50. If you’re not familiar, that’s when you have something you definitely don’t want traced back to you sent to an empty building, a landmark or some other prearranged public location.

Kim Komando

👉 “Your Secure Marketplace for Drugs”

I found it all — a big bag of Viagra for $135, a gram of ketamine for $60, MDMA for $150 and 28 grams of “top-shelf indoor medical marijuana” for $240. There’s less flashy stuff like Lipitor, Ecstasy and Cialis, plus a whole bunch of substances I’ve never even heard of.

Kim Komando

Poison? You can get that, too. Heliotrope (marked as undetectable during an autopsy) is $2,800 to $14,000, ricin starts at $2,500 and potassium cyanide is $5,900.

👉 Faked celebrities

It’s not a Dark Web visit without this. Yes, naked people (women, mostly) are everywhere, and celebrities are the big draw. I didn’t care about seeing A-listers without their clothes.

What’s more interesting are scammers who put together deepfakes that can be used to con folks out of money. A video that sure looks like YouTuber MrBeast, aka Jimmy Donaldson, promises 10,000 lucky folks a free iPhone. It’s a ploy, of course, but these videos really are good enough to trick someone not looking for signs.

Video credit: Bitdefender

👀 It’s one thing to read about all this stuff. Want to see it?

✋ I’m not done … Tomorrow, I’ll share the hacking and hitman services I found. Told you the Dark Web is wild!

Tags: deals, internet, malware, privacy, security