Top 7 Dark Web Markets in 2026: What Gets Sold

Learn which dark web markets pose the biggest risk to your organization’s credentials.

Dark web markets are where stolen credentials end up after breaches and infostealer infections.

Security teams monitor these marketplaces to detect exposed corporate data before attackers use it. A credential listed on Russian Market today could be used to breach your network tomorrow.

This guide covers the top dark web marketplaces and what they sell. You’ll also learn how to monitor for your organization’s exposed data.

What Is a Dark Web Market?

When your credentials get stolen, they often end up for sale on a dark web market within hours.

Credentials from breaches and infostealer infections appear on these platforms quickly. For security teams, that means your stolen data is being monetized before you even know it’s gone.

Focus your monitoring where threats actually originate.

What Does the Dark Web Market Landscape Look Like in 2026?

The darknet marketplace ecosystem looks different than it did two years ago. Takedowns and exit scams have reshuffled which markets matter.

Key changes since 2024:

• Hydra’s absence still shapes the market. When German authorities seized Hydra in 2022, it processed $5 billion in transactions. No single market has replaced it. Instead, activity fragmented across dozens of smaller platforms.

• Credential markets grew faster than drug markets. Russian Market and 2easy now dominate credential sales. These specialized markets grew while general-purpose marketplaces struggled with trust issues.

• Telegram became a major venue. Criminal activity migrated beyond Tor. Stealer logs and credentials now appear on Telegram channels within hours of theft. Some vendors skip traditional darknet marketplaces entirely.

• Exit scams increased. Abacus Market, which grew rapidly after Hydra’s takedown, went offline in mid-2025 amid exit scam concerns. Vendors and buyers have become more cautious about trusting any single platform.

The current dark web market list includes a mix of established players and newer entrants. Here’s what’s active and relevant for security teams.

What Are the Top Dark Web Markets?

The dark web market landscape shifts constantly. Markets get seized or exit scam. Here are the marketplaces that currently matter most for credential and data theft.

Russian Market

Russian Market is the dominant darknet marketplace for stolen credentials in 2026. It specializes in stealer logs and corporate access data.

What it sells:

• Stealer logs with credentials and session cookies
• RDP and VPN access to corporate networks
• Credit card data (CVVs and fullz)
• SSH credentials and shell access
• Webshells and backdoor access

Why security teams monitor it: Russian Market focuses on fresh data from active infostealer campaigns. Credentials appear here within hours of theft. If your employee’s machine gets infected, their corporate credentials could be for sale the same day.

The market has tens of thousands of active customers and millions of listings. Prices range from $1 for basic credentials to $500+ for corporate network access.

2026 status: Russian Market remains one of the most active credential marketplaces. It benefited from the fragmentation after Hydra’s takedown and has continued growing as other markets faced trust issues or law enforcement pressure.

2easy

2easy Market specializes in stealer logs from Redline, Raccoon, and Vidar infostealers. It’s become a primary darknet marketplace for fresh credential data.

What it sells:

• Stealer logs with complete browser data
• Saved passwords and autofill information
• Session cookies that skip MFA
• Cryptocurrency wallet data
• Form autofill data (addresses, phone numbers, payment info)

Why security teams monitor it: 2easy emphasizes freshness. Logs are often from infections that happened within the past 24-48 hours. This means compromised credentials haven’t been used yet, giving defenders a window to act.

The market sorts listings by infection date and geography. Attackers can search for logs from specific countries or containing access to specific services. A single log might contain credentials for 50+ websites.

Pricing: Individual logs sell for $5-$50 depending on what access they contain. Logs with banking access or corporate VPN credentials command higher prices. Bulk purchases of hundreds of logs are common among attackers running credential stuffing operations.

2026 status: 2easy continues to grow as infostealer infections increase globally. The market’s focus on freshness makes it particularly dangerous for corporate security teams.

Abacus Market

Abacus Market was the largest general-purpose darknet marketplace until mid-2025. Launched in 2021, it grew rapidly after Hydra’s takedown.

What it sold:

• Fraud tools and tutorials
• Counterfeit documents
• Malware and exploit kits
• Some credential listings

Peak scale (before shutdown):

• 40,000+ active listings
• Estimated $15 million market value
• $300 million in estimated transactions

Why security teams monitored it: Abacus sold fraud tools that target enterprises. Phishing kits and credential stuffing software appeared regularly. The market’s vendor verification system meant listings tended to be legitimate.

2026 status: Abacus went offline in mid-2025. Most analysts attribute this to an exit scam, though some speculated about possible law enforcement involvement. Vendors migrated to TorZon and other growing markets. Security teams now monitor these successor platforms for the same fraud tools and malware that previously appeared on Abacus.

STYX Market

STYX Market launched in early 2023 and quickly became a hub for financial cybercrime. It caters to attackers focused on monetization.

What it sells:

• Bank Identification Numbers (BINs)
• Money laundering services
• Verified crypto accounts
• Financial fraud tutorials

Why security teams monitor it: STYX focuses on monetization. Attackers buy credentials elsewhere, then use STYX services to convert stolen access into cash. Monitoring STYX reveals how your compromised data might be exploited.

BidenCash

BidenCash gained notoriety for releasing massive credit card dumps as advertising. The market has released over 15 million card details in promotional leaks.

What it sells:

• Credit card data with CVVs
• Personal identification information (PII)
• SSH credentials

Recent activity: BidenCash has been targeted by law enforcement but continues operating. It has approximately 117,000 users and generated an estimated $17 million in revenue before recent disruptions.

Brian’s Club

Brian’s Club was one of the largest carding markets before facing law enforcement pressure. It sold over 9 million credit card records and earned an estimated $126 million.

Current status: The original Brian’s Club has been disrupted multiple times. Successor sites operate but with less trust. Security teams still monitor for the brand because it represents the scale possible in card fraud.

TorZon Market

TorZon emerged as a major darknet marketplace in 2025, absorbing vendors displaced from Abacus and other collapsed markets. It now has over 15,000 listings.

What it sells:

• General darknet goods
• Credential and data listings
• Fraud tools and phishing kits
• Malware and exploits
• Counterfeit documents

Why security teams monitor it: TorZon represents the next generation of dark web markets filling the void left by takedowns. It grew rapidly through 2025 as vendors migrated from collapsed platforms. The market has implemented stronger vendor verification than some predecessors, which builds buyer trust but also means listings are more likely to be legitimate threats.

2026 status: TorZon is actively growing. It’s positioned to become one of the dominant general-purpose darknet marketplaces if it avoids the exit scams and law enforcement actions that plagued competitors.

Nemesis Market

Nemesis Market launched in 2023 and has grown steadily as a general-purpose darknet marketplace. It focuses on operational security and vendor reliability.

What it sells:

• Digital goods and fraud services
• Credential dumps and database leaks
• Hacking services and tutorials
• Malware and RATs (Remote Access Trojans)

Why security teams monitor it: Nemesis hosts vendors selling corporate data and hacking services. Database dumps containing customer records appear regularly. The market’s emphasis on vendor vetting means sellers have track records, making their offerings more credible threats.

2026 status: Nemesis continues operating and growing. It hasn’t faced the trust crises or law enforcement actions that disrupted larger competitors, making it a stable presence in the darknet marketplace ecosystem.

What Gets Sold on Dark Web Markets?

Security teams focus on listings that directly threaten their organizations. Here’s a breakdown of what appears on darknet marketplaces and current pricing.

Credentials and Access

The most valuable dark web market listings involve direct access to systems. Attackers pay premiums for credentials that get them inside corporate networks without triggering security alerts.

Current pricing (2026):

Prices vary based on company size and access level. Domain admin access at a Fortune 500 might sell for several thousand dollars, while a small business goes for a few hundred. Healthcare and financial services credentials command premiums because of the data they protect.

Why pricing matters for defenders: If corporate VPN access sells for $200, that’s the cost for an attacker to bypass your perimeter. The ROI on credential monitoring becomes obvious when you compare subscription costs to potential breach costs.

Stealer Logs

Stealer logs contain everything an infostealer extracted from an infected machine:

• Browser passwords (often 50-200+ per victim)
• Session cookies (bypass MFA entirely)
• Credit card details saved in browsers
• Autofill data (addresses, phone numbers)
• Cryptocurrency wallet files and seed phrases
• VPN and FTP credentials
• Email client configurations
• Screenshots of the victim’s desktop

A single log might contain dozens of credentials across multiple services. Attackers buy logs containing access to their target, then use the session cookies to impersonate the victim without triggering MFA prompts.

The MFA bypass problem: Session cookies are the most dangerous component. When you log into a service and check “remember me,” your browser stores a session token. Infostealers grab these tokens. Attackers can import them into their own browser and access your accounts without ever entering a password or MFA code. This is why credential monitoring that includes session token detection matters.

Freshness premium: Logs from infections within the past 48 hours sell for more because session tokens haven’t expired yet. Older logs may have valid passwords but dead sessions.

Combo Lists

Combo lists are compilations of username and password pairs from multiple breaches. Attackers use them for credential stuffing attacks against login pages.

Large combo lists containing millions of credentials sell for $10-$100. Targeted lists (only corporate emails, only banking sites) command higher prices. “Fresh” combo lists from recent breaches sell for premiums because the passwords are more likely to still be active.

Why combo lists matter: Password reuse makes these dangerous. If an employee used the same password for a breached consumer service and their corporate account, attackers can pivot from a worthless consumer credential to corporate network access.

Database Leaks

Full database dumps from breached companies appear on dark web markets and forums. These contain structured data: customer records, employee information, and transaction histories.

What gets leaked:

• Customer PII (names, emails, addresses, phone numbers)
• Payment information (sometimes including card numbers)
• Internal employee directories
• Transaction and order histories
• Support tickets and communications
• Hashed (and sometimes plaintext) passwords

Database leaks pose different risks than credential sales. Even if passwords are hashed, the PII makes targeted phishing easy. Attackers can craft convincing emails using real customer data, order histories, or support ticket references.

Corporate Documents

Attackers sell internal documents and intellectual property. These often come from ransomware attacks where victims refused to pay, or from insider threats.

Common document types:

• Financial reports and projections
• Customer contracts and pricing
• Employee records and HR documents
• Strategic plans and roadmaps
• Source code and technical documentation
• Legal documents and communications

Ransomware gangs publish stolen documents on leak sites when victims don’t pay. This data then circulates on dark web markets and forums.

How Do Dark Web Markets Operate?

Here’s how they work.

Cryptocurrency Payments

All transactions use cryptocurrency. Bitcoin remains common, but Monero’s privacy features make it increasingly popular. Payments are irreversible, making fraud disputes difficult.

Escrow Systems

Markets hold payment in escrow until buyers confirm delivery. This builds trust without requiring parties to know each other. Escrow also makes exit scams possible. That’s when market operators disappear with held funds.

Vendor Reputation

Vendors build reputation through completed sales and buyer reviews. Established vendors can charge premiums. New vendors offer lower prices to build trust.

What Happened to Major Dark Web Markets?

Markets rise and fall. Here’s what past takedowns tell us.

Hydra Takedown (2022)

Hydra was the largest darknet marketplace, processing an estimated $5 billion in cryptocurrency transactions. German authorities seized its servers in April 2022.

Impact:

• Vendors scattered to smaller markets
• Russian Market and others grew rapidly
• Fragmentation made monitoring harder

AlphaBay and Hansa (2017)

Law enforcement executed a coordinated takedown. They secretly operated Hansa while taking down AlphaBay, catching users who migrated between markets.

Lesson for security teams: You need to monitor multiple markets at once.

Exit Scams

Market operators sometimes disappear with escrowed funds. Evolution (2015) and Empire Market (2020) are examples of major exit scams.

What Are the Current Darknet Market Trends?

Several patterns emerged after major takedowns.

Vendor Migration and Fragmentation

When law enforcement seizes a major marketplace, vendors don’t disappear. They migrate to smaller platforms within days. After Hydra’s takedown, Russian Market and 2easy saw rapid growth as displaced sellers found new homes.

Instead of one dominant market, you now have dozens of smaller ones. Your credentials might be listed on three platforms at once.

Credential and Access Specialization

Markets increasingly specialize in specific data types. Russian Market and 2easy focus almost exclusively on stealer logs and credentials. STYX handles financial fraud monetization. BidenCash dominates credit card dumps.

This specialization reflects professionalization in the criminal ecosystem. Vendors build expertise in specific products. Buyers know exactly where to find what they need.

Telegram Channel Growth

Criminal activity has migrated beyond traditional Tor markets. Stolen credentials now appear on Telegram channels through leaks and direct sales. These channels are easier to access and harder to monitor than onion sites.

Some vendors operate exclusively on Telegram, bypassing traditional darknet markets entirely. This expansion means security teams need to monitor beyond just Tor-based marketplaces.

Why Should Security Teams Monitor Dark Web Markets?

Here’s what market monitoring helps you catch early.

Credential Exposure Detection

When employee credentials appear on Russian Market or 2easy, you can force password resets before attackers use them. You typically have a few days at most.

Third-Party Breach Indicators

Your vendors’ breaches affect you too. Monitoring for your brand across markets reveals when third-party breaches expose your data.

Incident Response Support

During an investigation, you need answers fast. Was data stolen? Is it for sale? How much got out?

How Can You Monitor Dark Web Markets?

Manual monitoring doesn’t scale. Markets require Tor access and account registration. Content changes constantly. Multiple markets need simultaneous coverage.

Challenges with Manual Approaches

• Access risks: Visiting markets exposes your network to malware
• Coverage gaps: You can’t manually check all markets daily
• Context missing: Knowing a credential is listed isn’t enough. You need alerting and response workflows

Automated Dark Web Monitoring

Dark web monitoring solutions continuously scan markets and forums for your organization’s data.

Effective solutions provide:

• Domain and keyword monitoring
• Real-time alerts when credentials appear
• Historical data for investigations
• API integration with security tools
• Coverage across multiple market types

What to Look For

When credentials appear on dark web markets, you need to know:

• Which accounts are exposed
• Whether passwords are current
• If session tokens let attackers skip MFA
• When the exposure first appeared
• Whether data is being actively sold

This context drives response. If you find credentials listed, reset the password immediately.

Conclusion

The dark web market landscape in 2026 is fragmented but active. Russian Market and 2easy dominate credential sales. TorZon and Nemesis have grown as Abacus and other markets collapsed. New darknet marketplaces emerge constantly as law enforcement takes down established ones.

For security teams, three things matter:

Speed. The window between credentials appearing for sale and attackers exploiting them is often 24-72 hours. Stealer logs with fresh session cookies sell at premiums because they work immediately.

Coverage. Monitoring a single market isn’t enough. Vendors list on multiple platforms. Activity has migrated to Telegram. Effective monitoring needs to cover the full ecosystem.

Action. Knowing credentials are exposed is useless without response workflows. Integrate monitoring with password resets and incident response processes.

Manual monitoring doesn’t scale and creates security risks. Automated dark web monitoring catches exposed credentials across darknet marketplaces and forums continuously.

Book a demo to see what credentials from your organization are already exposed on dark web markets.