In the shadows of the internet, there exists a marketplace where illegal services are packaged, priced, and sold with the same consumer-friendly approach as legitimate businesses. The dark web—accessible only through specialized browsers like Tor—has transformed criminal services into commodities available at surprisingly low prices.
The economics of dark web marketplaces follow a disturbing logic: lower prices mean more customers, creating a volume business where criminal services have become accessible to virtually anyone with cryptocurrency and basic technical knowledge.
Professional hacking services are available at startlingly low rates. For as little as $100-$300, you can hire someone to breach a social media account. Corporate email accounts might cost $250-$500, depending on security measures. More sophisticated targets like secure databases can range from $1,000-$3,000—a fraction of what companies invest in protecting these assets.
These services often come with “customer guarantees” and tiered pricing models that mirror legitimate business practices. Many hackers offer package deals: breach three accounts and get the fourth free, or discounts for returning customers.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks—which overwhelm websites with traffic until they crash—have become particularly affordable. Basic attacks start at just $10-$15 per hour or $150-$250 per day against small to medium websites.
“Stresser” services, as they’re often marketed, offer subscription models: $40-$60 monthly for regular attack capabilities. Enterprise-level attacks against larger targets with stronger protections might cost $1,000-$2,000 per day—still remarkably affordable considering the potential damage.
Remote Access Trojans (RATs)—malware that gives attackers complete control over someone’s device—can be purchased for as little as $50-$200. These programs allow attackers to:
Many sellers offer tutorials, customer support, and even money-back guarantees if their software is detected by antivirus programs.
Ransomware—malicious software that encrypts victims’ files until they pay—has evolved into a service-based business model. Criminals without technical skills can purchase ransomware kits for $50-$300, or partner with developers through profit-sharing arrangements (typically 30% to the developer, 70% to the distributor).
Some developers offer dashboards to track infections and payments, customer service scripts, and even localization services to target specific countries—all the tools needed to run an efficient criminal enterprise.
While digital crimes dominate dark web marketplaces, services offering physical harm represent the most disturbing category. Though many listings are scams, law enforcement has documented genuine cases where such services were arranged through these channels.
Physical surveillance services are advertised for $30-$100 per hour, with daily rates around $250-$500. These might include following someone, photographing their activities, or gathering information about their routines.
Services offering physical violence escalate in price with severity. Listings for assaults typically range from $500-$3,000 depending on the level of injury requested. Law enforcement investigations have confirmed that some of these services are genuine, though many are scams designed to defraud would-be clients.
At the extreme end, murder-for-hire services represent the most severe category. These listings often request payments of $10,000-$20,000 for basic services, with prices increasing based on the target’s profile and security measures. While most are sophisticated scams, documented cases exist where actual hitmen were hired through dark web connections.
The FBI and other agencies have successfully conducted numerous sting operations targeting both sellers and buyers of these services, often catching individuals willing to pay these prices to have someone killed.
The affordability of criminal services on the dark web has democratized crime in unprecedented ways. What once required specialized skills or connections can now be purchased by anyone with basic technical knowledge and cryptocurrency.
This pricing structure has three major implications:
Understanding the economics of the dark web helps illustrate why cybersecurity has become essential for everyone, not just large organizations. When attacks cost so little to execute, threat actors can afford to target even individuals with limited resources.
Basic security measures—strong, unique passwords, two-factor authentication, regular software updates, and data backups—have never been more important. For organizations, security awareness training and regular penetration testing have become necessary investments.
The dark web’s price list serves as a stark reminder: in the digital age, the cost of committing a crime has fallen dramatically, but the cost of being a victim remains immeasurably high.
If you would like to learn more about C.Kimberly Toms’ journey as an ongoing victim of tech-enabled abuse and the dark web at the hands of her criminal offender, a former special agent for the U.S. Department of State, you may find her crime journals on Substack.