The findings presented during this webinar are informed by work led by Dr. Thomas J. Holt (Michigan State University) through an active CINA project, “Understanding the Economy and Social Organization of the Underground Market for Cybercrime as a Service.”
The Internet has become a popular marketplace for the sale of illicit products, including stolen personal information, drugs, and firearms. Many of these products are purchased using cryptocurrencies, which is generally defined as forms of digital currency that are traceable through blockchain ledger technology. Cryptocurrencies are thought to be more secure than other forms of digital payment, though law enforcement and financial service providers have found ways to investigate account holders and their transactions. Consequently, several service providers have begun to offer cryptomixing services, which effectively launders payments to circumvent detection and investigation tools. Few have explored the practices of cryptomixing services, or the ways in which they are marketed on the Open and Dark Web. This inductive qualitative analysis will examine a sample of 18 cryptomixing services advertised on both the Open and Dark Web to better understand cryptomixing and its role in facilitating illicit transactions in various contexts.