Top 10 Dark Web Forums and Deep Web Communities in 2026

The top dark web forums and deep web communities in 2026 are XSS, Dread, BreachForums, Nulled, Cracked, Exploit.in, CryptBB, DarkForums, LeakBase, and Altenen, based on how often they surfaced in investigations, court records, and breach response work.

Each platform served a specific function, from brokering initial network access and trading exploits to redistributing leaked data or enabling large-scale account abuse. Their impact came from how activity moved between them, not from any single forum operating alone.

Scale and repetition across these forums caused most real-world harm, driven by reused breach data and automated credential abuse. Accurate interpretation depends on tracking activity over time and validating claims with external evidence, a process supported by platforms like CloudSEK.

Top Dark Web Forums and Deep Web Communities to Watch in 2026

How Did We Review These Dark Web Forums and Deep Web Communities?

This review focused on forums that continue to surface across multiple years, even as platforms are taken down or rebranded. Priority was given to communities with a clear historical presence rather than short-lived or opportunistic sites.

Each forum was examined based on what people actually use it for, not just how often it is mentioned or how large it seems. This helped separate discussion-focused spaces from marketplaces and clarify the role each platform plays.

The analysis relied on court records, public investigations, and academic or institutional research rather than promotional or commercial sources. When exact figures were not available, consistent behavior and documented outcomes were used to guide the assessment.

What Are the Top 10 Dark Web Forums and Deep Web Communities in 2026?

Dark web and deep web forums continue to drive cybercrime coordination despite repeated takedowns. In 2026, they influence breach disclosure, access trading, and broader cybersecurity risk patterns.

1. XSS

XSS is a Russian-language cybercrime forum that first appeared in 2013 and evolved into a structured underground marketplace with long-term continuity. Its development reflects stability built through reputation systems rather than visibility or open access.

Within XSS, activity revolves around negotiated exchanges rather than open posting, with users brokering access, sharing tooling, and forming long-term criminal partnerships. Activity on XSS often intersects with ransomware supply chains, where initial access and tooling are exchanged before attacks materialize.

French judicial authorities confirmed in 2025 that the suspected administrator of XSS was arrested, stating the forum had more than 50,000 registered users and generated millions of euros in illicit revenue. That case firmly established XSS as a high-impact platform within the underground economy.

2. Dread

Dread launched in February 2018 as a Tor-based forum modeled on Reddit, emerging after repeated takedowns of darknet markets and discussion spaces. Academic research documents its rapid expansion into a large, topic-driven community.

Discussion on Dread centers on collective judgment, where users scrutinize markets, challenge claims, and publicly flag scams or unreliable vendors. Information gains credibility through debate rather than volume, shaping how narratives spread across the darknet.

A 2025 peer-reviewed study identified more than 1,700 active sub-communities on Dread, highlighting its scale and persistence. That breadth explains why it remains influential despite not hosting direct sales.

3. BreachForums

BreachForums emerged in March 2022 as an English-language marketplace centered on stolen data circulation. U.S. court records clearly outline its creation and operational role under Conor Brian Fitzpatrick.

Content on BreachForums focused on monetizing large-scale data breaches turning exposed data into tradable assets, with breach claims packaged alongside samples to establish credibility quickly. That format pushed leaks from disclosure to resale with minimal friction.

According to U.S. Department of Justice filings, BreachForums hosted over 888 datasets containing more than 14 billion records. Those figures explain its repeated disruption by law enforcement.

4. Nulled

Nulled surfaced publicly around 2014–2015 and grew into one of the most visible English-language cracking forums. Its open structure allowed rapid user growth and sustained activity.

Nulled functioned as a mass-access environment where credential abuse, cracking tools, and reusable fraud methods circulated at scale. Its appeal came from simplicity, enabling repeated misuse rather than specialized intrusion.

U.S. Department of Justice seizure documents state that Nulled operated since at least 2016 and accumulated more than five million users. That scale made it a major driver of automated abuse and credential misuse.

5. Cracked

Cracked began operating in March 2018 as a high-traffic cybercrime marketplace closely aligned with mass-scale abuse models. It functioned alongside similar forums but developed its own ecosystem.

On Cracked, listings emphasized automation and repeatability, allowing credentials and tools to be reused across campaigns with little customization. The forum’s design supported continuous abuse rather than one-off attacks.

U.S. Department of Justice disclosures cite over four million users, more than 28 million posts, and at least 17 million victims. Those metrics illustrate how scale alone can translate into widespread harm.

6. Exploit

Exploit.in is a Russian-speaking forum whose origins trace back to 2005, supported by both site records and academic literature. Its longevity places it among the oldest continuously referenced underground platforms.

The forum is primarily used for exploit-focused technical trade, including advanced tooling and discussions related to malware development. Participation tends to favor experienced actors over newcomers.

Academic analyses consistently cite Exploit as a peer to other elite forums, reinforcing its relevance despite lower public exposure. That placement reflects influence rather than popularity.

7. CryptBB

CryptBB emerged in 2017 and gained significant traction in early 2020 as a closed forum designed around restricted access and trust-based participation. Membership controls differentiate it from open cybercrime boards.

Access on CryptBB is shaped by restriction and vetting, creating an environment where services and access offerings circulate within a controlled membership. The reduced visibility shifts focus from scale to continuity and trust.

Europol’s Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment explicitly identifies CryptBB as an active closed forum, confirming sustained law-enforcement interest without relying on forum-reported statistics.

8. DarkForums

DarkForums launched in November 2022 under the name DARK4RMY Forums before later rebranding. Its visibility increased during disruption periods affecting other leak communities.

DarkForums adopted familiar leak-forum mechanics, allowing stolen datasets and credential collections to be reposted quickly for visibility. Its structure favors fast adoption by displaced users rather than long-term community building.

Investigative reporting during 2025 documented rapid growth following forum takedowns elsewhere. That pattern positions DarkForums as a migration destination rather than a long-term anchor.

9. LeakBase

LeakBase surfaced in the early 2020s as a data-leak distribution community with shifting domains and mirrors. No single authoritative founding record exists.

LeakBase activity is oriented around rapid redistribution, with credential logs and leaked datasets presented for immediate reuse. Posts prioritize speed and proof over discussion or verification.

Incident-response reporting frequently references LeakBase during breach investigations. Its relevance lies in redistribution rather than original compromise.

10. Altenen

Altenen began as an Arabic-language forum and gradually expanded into broader cybercrime discussions. Its continued presence reflects adaptability rather than scale.

Altenen acts as a knowledge-sharing space where monetization tactics and fraud workflows are broken down and reused. The emphasis lies in replication, allowing methods to spread quickly across platforms and regions.

Open-source investigative reporting associates Altenen with high-volume consumer abuse, sometimes intersecting with service disruption tactics such as DDoS attacks. Its role is amplification, not innovation.

What Types of Discussions Typically Occur in These Communities?

Across dark web forums and deep web communities, discussions tend to follow recurring patterns that reflect information exchange, coordination, and claim validation rather than casual conversation.

Vulnerabilities

Discussions often center on software flaws, exploit methods, and patch effectiveness, with an emphasis on real-world usability. Threads typically assess whether techniques remain viable after disclosure.

Data Leaks

Users regularly debate newly claimed breaches, leaked databases, and exposed credentials. Verification and skepticism determine whether a claim gains credibility.

Account Access

Conversations frequently involve stolen credentials, access resale, and methods for abusing compromised accounts. Scale and repeatability matter more than novelty.

Privacy Tools

Some threads focus on anonymization tools, encryption practices, and operational security. These discussions evolve in response to surveillance and takedown pressure.

Reputation Systems

Community members discuss vendor credibility, scams, and rule violations. Public callouts and reputation tracking help enforce internal order.

Platform Migration

Forums often track shutdowns, seizures, rebrands, and successor platforms. These discussions reveal where users regroup after disruption events.

What Are the Differences Between the Dark Web and the Deep Web?

What Are the Risks of Dark Web Forums?

Dark web forums introduce a set of risks tied to legal boundaries, content exposure, and the reliability of information shared within closed or anonymous environments.

Legal Risk

Some forums host material that may be illegal to view or possess depending on jurisdiction. Legal exposure can arise without active participation.

Content Exposure

Unfiltered sections often contain explicit, violent, or disturbing material. Encountering such content is difficult to avoid once inside certain forums.

False Claims

Breach reports, exploit claims, and leak announcements are frequently overstated or fabricated. Independent verification is required to separate credible information from noise.

Technical Threats

Malicious files, weaponized links, and hostile scripts are common. Inadequate isolation can result in system compromise or credential loss.

Monitoring Presence

Dark web forums are routinely observed by law enforcement, security firms, and hostile actors. Poor operational discipline increases traceability risk.

Cognitive Impact

Repeated exposure to fraud, threats, and extremist discussion can have psychological effects over time. This impact is often overlooked compared to technical concerns.

How Researchers and Analysts Monitor Dark Web Forums Safely?

Professional monitoring of dark web forums is built around controlled observation, system separation, and careful verification, with the goal of understanding patterns without becoming part of the environment.

Passive Collection

Observation stays limited to publicly visible discussions without posting, replying, or building a presence. This keeps the work closer to documentation than participation.

Isolated Systems

Dedicated devices, virtual machines, and segmented networks are used to prevent contamination. Separation reduces the chance of accidental spillover into personal or corporate systems.

Controlled Exposure

Content is handled in a way that minimizes contact with unknown files, links, and embedded threats. The objective is to reduce the operational surface area while maintaining visibility.

Source Correlation

Forum claims are cross-checked against incident-response artifacts, security telemetry, and trusted reporting before they are treated as meaningful indicators. This is where dark web monitoring becomes useful as context rather than as proof.

Aggregation Tools

Threat intelligence platforms and structured collection pipelines help preserve posts, timelines, and relationships without repeated manual browsing. This supports long-term tracking of cyber threats without over-relying on any single forum narrative.

Legal Oversight

Activities are often reviewed through internal policy, legal counsel, or compliance processes. Oversight keeps collection aligned with jurisdictional boundaries and organizational risk tolerance.

Common Misconceptions About Dark Web Communities

Dark web communities are often misunderstood due to oversimplified narratives that blur the line between anonymity, illegality, and everyday online behavior.

All Illegal

A common assumption is that everything on the dark web is criminal by nature. In reality, legality depends on content and use, not the network itself.

Same as Deep Web

Dark web and deep web are frequently treated as interchangeable terms. The deep web refers to non-indexed content, while the dark web specifically relies on anonymity networks.

One-Time Sites

Many believe dark web forums appear and disappear as single entities. In practice, communities persist through rebrands, migrations, and successor platforms.

Pure Marketplaces

Dark web forums are often assumed to exist only for buying and selling. Many function primarily as discussion, verification, or coordination spaces.

Anonymous Equals Safe

Anonymity is often mistaken for complete protection. Poor operational practices can still expose identity, behavior patterns, or legal risk.

Static Communities

These forums are not fixed or stable environments. Activity, trust, and relevance shift constantly in response to enforcement actions and internal dynamics.

Dark and Deep Web Monitoring with CloudSEK XVigil

CloudSEK provides deep and dark web monitoring through its XVigil platform by continuously scanning thousands of hidden, gated, and high-risk online sources. The coverage spans dark sites, marketplaces, code repositories, document-sharing platforms, large breach datasets, IRC channels, I2P pages, and Telegram networks.

XVigil uses an asset- and watchword-driven approach to correlate underground activity directly with an organization’s digital footprint. This allows leaked credentials, exposed data, and threat-related conversations to be identified in one place with deeper context behind each reported cyber threat.

Beyond detection, the platform supports end-to-end response through actionable alerts, integrations with SIEM, SOAR, and incident-management systems, and a dedicated takedown process. This includes coordinated takedowns for phishing, infringing domains, fake social media accounts, unofficial apps, and other brand abuse incidents, reducing manual effort and response time for security teams.

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