The Web's Many Shades and Your Worth

The Web's Many Shades

The internet extends far beyond what standard search engines can access. While Google indexes over 30 trillion websites, this represents merely 4% of the entire internet.

Hitting The Surface

Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo index only the "visible web" or "surface web." Despite Google's massive indexing efforts — visiting websites 150 billion times monthly — this coverage remains a tiny fraction of total internet content.

Diving A Little Deeper

Beyond the surface lies the "deep web," containing sites requiring authentication such as banking platforms, subscription services, government portals, and company networks.

Going Dark

The "dark web" operates on overlay networks requiring specialized software including Tor, Tails OS, I2P, Freenet, and Subgraph OS. This represents a small segment of the larger deep web ecosystem.

Your Worth: About $1,200

A February 2018 security review by Top10VPN.com examined fraud listings across three major dark web markets. Complete identity packages — including bank logins, passport details, and streaming accounts — sell for approximately $1,200.

Everything Has A Price

PayPal accounts commanded the highest prices at roughly $247 on average, while basic accounts like GrubHub, Walmart, and Amazon sold for $10 or less.

What Can You Do?

While hackers will exploit opportunities for profit, individuals should actively monitor accounts through proactive password management. Change credentials frequently and avoid reusing passwords across platforms. Password managers like 1Password, Dashlane, or LastPass can help.