Darknet Glossary
Concise definitions for technical terms and market jargon used across DarkMarket guides.
A
Amnesic OS
Operating system that forgets session data after shutdown (e.g., Tails).
Admin
Operator with privileged control over a market or forum.
Air gap
Physical isolation between a device and any network.
AlphaBay
Major English-language market seized in 2017.
Anonymous
State of not being identified; rarely absolute in practice.
B
Bond
Collateral posted by vendors to deter scams.
BTC
Bitcoin — transparent ledger cryptocurrency.
Bridge
Tor entry method that is harder for censors to block.
Browser fingerprint
Set of attributes that can uniquely identify a browser.
Burner
Disposable identity, device, or account.
C
Canary
Signed status statement used to authenticate mirrors.
Clearnet
Ordinary internet outside Tor.
Clone
Phishing site imitating a real service.
Cold wallet
Cryptocurrency wallet kept offline.
Compartmentalization
Separating identities, devices, and workflows.
Custodial
Service that holds user funds or keys.
D
DDoS
Distributed denial of service attack against uptime.
Deanonymization
Linking a pseudonym to a real identity.
Dead drop
Method of exchanging goods without meeting in person.
Dispute
Escrow conflict resolution process on a market.
Dread
Major Reddit-like darknet discussion forum.
Drop
Shipping destination or intermediary location.
E
Early finalize
Releasing escrow before delivery confirmation — high buyer risk.
Escrow
Third-party holding of funds during a trade.
Exit node
Final Tor relay that connects to the clearnet.
Exit scam
Operators disable withdrawals and steal escrow balances.
OPSEC
Operational security practices.
F
FE / Finalize Early
Buyer releases funds before receiving goods.
Feedback
Public rating left after a market order.
Fingerprint
Unique identifying hash of a PGP key or service.
Forum
Discussion board used for news, canaries, and reputation talk.
Fungibility
Property that units of a currency are interchangeable.
G
Guard node
Long-lived Tor entry relay choice.
GUID
Globally unique identifier sometimes leaked in software.
H
Honeypot
Trap service designed to collect evidence.
Hot wallet
Wallet connected to the internet.
Hydra
Large Russian-language market disrupted in 2022.
I
Invite-only
Registration restricted to invited users.
I2P
Alternative anonymity network distinct from Tor.
J
JavaScript attack surface
Extra executable code in pages that can aid fingerprinting or exploits — hence no-JS sites.
Jurisdiction risk
Legal exposure based on where servers or operators reside.
K
KYC
Know Your Customer identity checks on exchanges.
Keyserver
Directory used to distribute PGP public keys.
L
Lawful interception
Authorized surveillance by authorities.
Listing
Vendor offer page on a market.
LTC
Litecoin — transparent ledger coin sometimes accepted on markets.
M
Market
Platform matching buyers and vendors with escrow.
Metadata
Data about communications (time, size, graph) rather than content.
Mirror
Alternate onion address for the same service.
Mixer / Tumbler
Service claiming to obscure transparent-coin trails.
Monero / XMR
Privacy-focused cryptocurrency with default obfuscation.
Multisig
Escrow requiring multiple cryptographic signatures.
Multisig 2-of-3
Common escrow pattern among buyer, vendor, and arbiter keys.
N
Nickname contamination
Reusing handles across contexts that can be correlated.
No-KYC swap
Exchange service that does not request identity documents.
Non-custodial
User retains control of keys/funds.
O
Onion address
Tor service URL ending in .onion.
Onion v3
Modern 56-character onion address format.
OPSEC
Operational security — habits that protect identity and operations.
Over-collection
Asking for more personal data than a task requires.
P
Persistence
Saved state across reboots — risky on amnesic workflows.
PGP
Pretty Good Privacy encryption and signing standard.
Phishing
Fraudulent imitation sites stealing credentials or funds.
Phrase / seed
Mnemonic backup for a crypto wallet — never share it.
Pseudonymity
Acting under a consistent false name without revealing real identity.
Q
Qubes OS
Security-oriented OS using isolated virtual qubes.
R
Relay
Tor node that forwards traffic.
Reputation
Accumulated trust signal from feedback and longevity.
Ring signature
Monero technique hiding the true signer among decoys.
RPC
Remote procedure call interface sometimes exposed by wallets.
S
Sandbox
Isolation layer limiting what software can access.
Scam
Fraudulent scheme to steal funds or information.
Security slider
Tor Browser control that disables risky features.
Selective disclosure
Sharing only necessary details for a transaction.
Session
Authenticated period after login.
Stealth address
One-time Monero destination address pattern.
Sybil attack
Flooding a system with fake identities.
T
Tails
Amnesic privacy-oriented operating system.
Threat model
Explicit statement of who you defend against and what you protect.
Tor
The Onion Router anonymity network.
Tor Browser
Hardened browser configured for Tor.
Traffic correlation
Attack linking entry and exit observations in time.
2FA
Two-factor authentication.
U
Uptime
Portion of time a service remains reachable.
USB boot
Running an OS from removable media.
V
Vendor
Seller account on a market.
Vendor bond
Deposit locking vendor commitment.
View key
Monero key that can observe incoming transactions without spending.
VPN
Virtual private network — not a Tor replacement.
W
Wallet resync scam
Phishing prompt asking for seed under repair pretenses.
Whonix
VM-based Tor isolation distribution.
Withdrawal lock
Temporary halt on outbound funds — sometimes a warning sign.
Worm
Self-replicating malware; also slang in some scam contexts.
X
XMR
Ticker symbol for Monero.
Z
Zero-persistence
Infrastructure design that keeps little durable state.
Zcash
Optional-privacy coin; not a Monero equivalent by default.
This starter glossary ships with core terms; expand locally as your editorial library grows.