In July, “PhantomNet” emerged as a blockchain-powered dark web alternative immune to traditional takedown methods. Unlike Tor, PhantomNet uses peer-to-peer routing with decentralized DNS and encrypted metadata masking.
Illegal trade in credentials, exploits, and counterfeit documents has spiked. Enforcement agencies are struggling, as no central server or gateway exists. This decentralization marks a new era of cat-and-mouse between law enforcement and cybercriminals. Analysts call for global cooperation on protocol-level intervention.