Notes from the Dark Web
by Christopher Degni
CHATtel Server v.10.30.666.10.14.1
Log Date-time: Fri, 13 Sep 2019 22:23:51 GMT
Users: 2
[22:23:51] <b3lph3g0r>: you get my payment?
[22:25:10] <count_hackula>: yah
[22:25:38] <b3lph3g0r>: everything set then?
[22:29:01] <count_hackula>: should be. i sent details, encrypted with your privlock key. site’s up and running, no interruption, easy peasy. change the demoncoin account and the payments will start going to you.
[22:29:15] <b3lph3g0r>: anything else i need to know?
[22:32:28] <count_hackula>: this your first rig?
[22:32:32] <b3lph3g0r>: i know what i’m doing
[22:40:08] <count_hackula>: you should be fine then, big guy
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date Accessed: Sat, 14 Sep 2019 14:23:51 GMT
Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
URL: https://www.thedemonsden.net/menu?key=c9f2c9cd047618a431e0a8001
Welcome to the Dark Web, assholes! If you’re here, you didn’t get here by accident. You’re looking for the good stuff, and you came to the right place. DemonCoin only, no exceptions!
We’re under new management and better than ever. The Count has retired off to his own private island.
Here I am, the new guy:
<img src=“muscle-bound-demon.jpg” alt=“b3lph3g0r will fuck you up”>
Services for sale:
DDoS attack (bot rental) …… 75 DemonCoin per bot per hour
DDoS attack protection …… 150 DemonCoin per hour
Information broker …… on demand, contact webmaster for price
Warez …… on demand, contact webmaster for price
The Arena …… 1000 DemonCoin buy-in
The Pitchfork …… 30000 DemonCoin
Contact the webmaster: b3lph3g0r@thedemonsden.net
CHATtel Server v.10.30.666.10.14.1
Log Date-time: Mon, 16 Sep 2019 08:31:55 GMT
Users: 2
[08:31:55] <b3lph3g0r>: man, u there?
[08:39:12] <b3lph3g0r>: seriously, dude. u there?
[08:41:45] <count_hackula>: yeah, what?
[08:41:57] <b3lph3g0r>: not getting any coin, what’s up?
[08:48:04] <count_hackula>: thought you knew what you were doing? lulz.
[08:48:07] <b3lph3g0r>: i do
[08:48:25] <count_hackula>: you change anything? move the site or something?
[08:48:40] <b3lph3g0r>: nothing! just new coin wallet
[08:49:12] <count_hackula>: check your connectivity lately? you down?
[08:49:30] <b3lph3g0r>: didn’t notice anything, but let me check the logs, brb
[08:58:12] <b3lph3g0r>: shit, nothing logging for the last few hours
[09:11:40] <count_hackula>: you advertise the new wallet?
[09:11:52] <b3lph3g0r>: yeah
[09:12:30] <b3lph3g0r>: problem not on my end
[09:28:15] <count_hackula>: *shrug*
[09:28:18] <count_hackula>: not my headache anymore, kemosabe
[09:28:24] <b3lph3g0r>: wth do i do?
[09:35:12] <b3lph3g0r>: DUDE, can you answer me?
[09:37:34] <count_hackula>: 20% take, 1 year
[09:37:45] <b3lph3g0r>: huh?
[09:38:15] <count_hackula>: my terms. just for you, i’ll only semi-retire. take it or figure things out yrself
[09:38:25] <b3lph3g0r>: asshole, fine. deal. what do i do?
[09:41:32] <count_hackula>: if it were me, i’d start by checking the other end of the connection. maybe DarkPrince can help you.
[09:41:58] <count_hackula>: oh yeah, and you can deposit my take in wallet de0b6c3290f5a01
Excerpt retrieved from: https://www.thecybersecurityguru.ninja, “The Dark Web: What is it?”
If the 21st century has an equivalent of the Wild West, it’s the Dark Web. Hiding in plain sight, but inaccessible to those who don’t know exactly what they’re looking for, the Dark Web by some accounts makes up over 40% of the internet (and growing). A refuge for hackers, scammers, pornographers, and much worse, the Dark Web allows them to run their criminal enterprises with the same ease as normal people buy a book or stream a video from mainstream sites.
What can you do to protect yourself? First off, don’t go looking for these sites: you’re likely to encounter more than you can handle. Even if you find an address, these sites often employ defensive malware that can infect your computer if you’re unable to answer an additional challenge, such as a secondary password or token identification.
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2019 09:42:14 -0800
Subject: link down
From: The Demon B <b3lph3g0r@thedemonsden.net>
To: DiBona, Adam <adibona@internexus.com>
Dude, we’re having connectivity issues. What gives?
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2019 10:01:04 -0800
Subject: WTF?
From: DiBona, Adam <dibona@dibona.ninja>
To: The Demon B <b3lph3g0r@thedemonsden.net>
Fuck, why are you using my work address? Are you crazy? Did hackula not tell you the rules? You fucking amateur. They read all the shit we get, and if they find you as an off-the-books “customer”, it’s not going to end well for either of us. Fuck!
I’ll look into it. Give me at least an hour for an update, might take two.
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2019 10:02:20 -0800
Subject: Re: WTF?
From: The Demon B <b3lph3g0r@thedemonsden.net>
To: DiBona, Adam <dibona@dibona.ninja>
I forgot you work for the Man.
Get that shit up and running again. Losing cash by the second. Some config’s busted on your end. I didn’t buy this site to lose money, motherfucker.
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2019 14:12:17 -0800
Subject: Re: WTF?
From: The Demon B <b3lph3g0r@thedemonsden.net>
To: DiBona, Adam <dibona@dibona.ninja>
Been four hours. Texted you, but got no response. You got an update for me?
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2019 14:31:21 -0800
Subject: Re: WTF?
From: The Demon B <b3lph3g0r@thedemonsden.net>
To: DiBona, Adam <dibona@dibona.ninja>
You there?
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2019 14:31:23 -0800
Subject: Re: WTF?
From: Postmaster Daemon <postmaster-daemon@dibona.ninja>
To: The Demon B <b3lph3g0r@thedemonsden.net>
Your message is undeliverable. Message body follows.
> You there?
Excerpt retrieved from https://www.internexustechnologies.com/about
Welcome to InterNexus Technologies! We make the internet the internet.
Our Story: Thirteen years ago, the internet didn’t work so well. That’s when our cofounder, Jason Rangoul, one of the innovators behind the original ARPAnet (the internet’s predecessor), met mathematician and algorithms specialist Phoebe Monderleight (not her real name, which she prefers to keep hidden for privacy reasons). Together, with his broad knowledge of the underlying structures of the internet and her deep expertise, they built the technology that powers the internet today.
When asked how InterNexus’s technology manages to make the internet run so fast, Phoebe likes to jokingly answer “black magic.”
Jason serves as the CEO of InterNexus Technologies, while Phoebe, true to her reclusive nature, has taken a more hands-off approach. She remains involved at the deepest levels, while Jason runs the day-to-day operations of the company.
Do you want to bring your internet presence to the next level? Contact us today to see what we can do for you!
Excerpt retrieved from: https://www.rockportpostgazette.com, 17 September 2019, “Local tech worker missing”
Rockport Police are looking for leads to help find a local man who has gone missing. Adam DiBona disappeared sometime early Monday morning, according to authorities.
Missing persons cases are rare in Rockport, and the police have no leads on the whereabouts of Mr. DiBona. He was last seen late Friday night by his girlfriend Lizzy Aparno in the apartment they share. Ms. Aparno retired for the night and has no memory of Mr. DiBona ever coming to bed.
Mr. DiBona works in the local offices of the internet giant InterNexus Technologies. Anyone with news of the whereabouts of Mr. DiBona is urged to call the Rockport Police as soon as possible.
CHATtel Server v.10.30.666.10.14.1
Log Date-time: Tue, 17 Sep 2019 22:02:26 GMT
Users: 2
[22:02:26] <b3lph3g0r>: fuck, fuck
[22:10:01] <count_hackula>: you haven’t fixed the site yet?
[22:10:12] <b3lph3g0r>: DarkPrince is gone
[22:11:11] <count_hackula>: gone?
[22:11:54] <b3lph3g0r>: yeah, fuckin gone, what do we do now?
[22:12:38] <count_hackula>: i never had an issue with him, always responded
[22:13:01] <b3lph3g0r>: not an issue, man, he’s missing
[22:15:14] <count_hackula>: you’ve got to fix this. we’re both losing money now
[22:15:32] <b3lph3g0r>: i’ll figure it out
From the popular social news aggregator Skimdit, retrieved on May 13, 2019 from https://www.skimdit.news/s/urbanlegends/rockport
s/rockport · Posted by da33ler · 3 hours ago
Anyone else hear weird things about Rockport, where all those internet companies are? I had a friend visit their, and he said the whole place has a Twin Peaks vibe. He couldn’t wait to get out of there. Anyone have stories?
11 comments · Share · Favorite
allo_maman · 51 points · 2 hours ago (Upvote | Downvote)
I know people in that town. Nothing strange going on. Do you have any stories to back up what you’re saying? Also *there.
da33ler · 2 points · 2 hours ago (Upvote | Downvote)
Thanks for the grammar lesson, dick.
<user deleted> · -38 points · 2 hours ago (Upvote | Downvote)
Don’t ask questions you don’t wanna know the answers to. And you don’t wanna know this answer. Trust me, stay away.
[Tuesday September 17 15:01:12]b3lph3g0r@thedemonsden:~$
[Tuesday September 17 15:01:13]b3lph3g0r@thedemonsden:~$
[Tuesday September 17 15:01:17]b3lph3g0r@thedemonsden:~$ traceroute internexus.com
Tracing route to public-internexus-dns.internexus.com [666.666.666.666] over a maximum of 30 hops:
1 2 ms 1 ms 192.168.0.1
2 12 ms 14 ms i-will.internexus.com [666.0.13.42]
3 21 ms 15 ms fuck-you.internexus.com [666.666.0.13]
4 21 ms 22 ms up-b3lph3g0r.internexus.com [666.666.666.0]
5 21 ms 20 ms public-internexus-dns.internexus.com [666.666.666.666]
Excerpt retrieved from: http://demonium-compendium-online.net/Belphegor
Belphegor (demon) is one of the Seven Princes of Hell. He helps inventors and scientists by bestowing inspiration, and he is the patron demon of get-rich-quick schemes. He preys on the lazy and incites discord among humans. There is considerable disagreement about whether he is the master of the deadly sin of sloth or gluttony; those who say sloth cite the earlier Arcanum Pandemonium as a source, but those who claim gluttony rightfully point out that Abaddon rules over sloth.
Belphegor is also Hell’s official ambassador to France.
He appears in many forms to humans, with two the most prominent. The first is a bearded, horned man, large of chest, with cloven hooves. The second, and rather surprising, is that of a slight young adult woman, usually with long blonde (almost white) hair.
CHATtel Server v.10.30.666.10.14.1
Log Date-time: Wed, 18 Sep 2019 23:04:12 GMT
Users: 2
[23:04:12] <b3lph3g0r>: someone’s messing with me
[23:06:19] <count_hackula>: what did you find?
[23:06:40] <b3lph3g0r>: strange traceroutes, addresses that don’t exist, servers with weird names
[23:08:45] <count_hackula>: what do you mean weird?
[23:09:34] <b3lph3g0r>: they had a message for me in the names
[23:15:01] <count_hackula>: you sure you’re doing this right?
[23:15:57] <b3lph3g0r>: fml
[23:16:04] <b3lph3g0r>: i need to explore more, gonna have to take it to meatspace
Excerpt retrieved from: https://www.rockportpostgazette.com, 19 September 2019, “Case of local tech worker gets stranger by the day”
InterNexus Technologies, Inc. released a statement about missing worker Adam DiBona this morning. They provided evidence that he was renting out their servers on the side, helping support what’s known as the “Dark Web,” a portion of the internet unreachable unless the user has a specific address beforehand.
“Think of the internet like a huge spiderweb, where you can travel along the strands to get from place to place,” said Holly Waters, a computer security expert with Digital Cyber Consulting. “The Dark Web is a completely different spiderweb. You can’t get there unless you start there, and if you don’t know where there is, well, you’re stuck.”
InterNexus is working with local and national authorities to track down the owners of the websites hosted on Mr. DiBona’s machines. They are all considered persons of interest in the disappearance of Mr. DiBona.
Excerpt retrieved from: http://demonium-compendium-online.net/Belphegor
Summoning Belphegor requires advanced magick and is not recommended for most practitioners. One of the Seven Princes of Hell, Belphegor is a powerful demon, and coaxing him to appear is difficult. There is one easy way to gain his attention: take his name in vain. But only the most accomplished magicians have a chance at maintaining control over him once summoned.
CHATtel Server v.10.30.666.10.14.1
Log Date-time: Thu, 19 Sep 2019 07:13:57 GMT
Users: 3
[07:13:57] <b3lph3g0r>: i can see their building now
[07:15:12] <count_hackula>: not your best idea
[07:18:33] <b3lph3g0r>: not a problem. conned my way into harder places than this
[07:19:45] <count_hackula>: they got DarkPrince, tho
[07:21:21] <b3lph3g0r>: they don’t know i’m coming
[07:35:55] <count_hackula>: you there?
[07:42:27] <count_hackula>: you there?
[07:47:11] <count_hackula>: dude, don’t get your ass caught. i want my cut
[07:49:01] <b3lph3g0r>: sorry, was working the guard at the desk. you buzzing my phone’s not helping. don’t freak out on me
[07:50:34] <count_hackula>: you in?
[07:52:12] <b3lph3g0r>: in like flynn
[07:53:01] <count_hackula>: what’s your plan?
[07:55:47] <b3lph3g0r>: going to plug in directly to bare metal, see what’s up. hope my stuff’s still there at least. then fix the connection
[07:57:36] <count_hackula>: keep me in the loop
[08:22:29] <count_hackula>: you there?
[08:27:13] <b3lph3g0r>: shit
[08:27:57] <count_hackula>: what?
[08:34:10] <count_hackula>: dude
[08:34:27] <count_hackula>: wait... who’s the third on the chat?
Excerpt retrieved from: https://www.rockportpostgazette.com, 20 September 2019, “Body believed to be that of missing tech worker”
Rockport police on Tuesday confirmed the body found at the bottom of Hill Ravine matches the general characteristics and build of local InterNexus tech worker Adam DiBona. Identity will be corroborated by dental records. The police do not suspect foul play.
Mr. DiBona was allegedly involved in a computer fraud scheme involving renting out server space on InterNexus equipment to hackers on the Dark Web. A spokesperson for InterNexus Technologies declined to comment on the case.
Excerpt retrieved from https://www.internexustechnologies.com/security
InterNexus takes the security of our customers seriously. We have state-of-the art defenses at the hardware, software, facility, and personnel levels. You can be sure your data is safe with InterNexus.
Our co-founder Phoebe Monderleight likes to joke that breaking into the Third Circle of Hell would be easier than breaching InterNexus. We strongly encourage all the cybercriminals out there not to find out!
From the popular social news aggregator Skimdit, retrieved on September 20, 2019 from https://www.skimdit.news/s/truecrime/adam_dibona_case
s/truecrime · Posted by <unknown_user> · 10 hours ago
“Body believed to be that of missing tech worker”, Rockport Gazette
https://www.rockportpostgazette.com/16661
72 comments · Share · Favorite
day_tripper_17 · 102 points · 7 hours ago (Upvote | Downvote)
This is a tragedy. This guy’s my age. I can’t believe the police are closing the case so easily. Something doesn’t add up.
clyde083 · 21 points · 6 hours ago (Upvote | Downvote)
I live in Rockport, and the rumors here are that the body was in really bad shape. Some sort of rune or sigil carved into his cheeks all the way down to the bone, and the body was completely drained of blood. Weird shit.
miss_skittish · 83 points · 5 hours ago (Upvote | Downvote)
I don’t live there, but my cousin’s roommate works for the RPD, and apparently they get these kinds of cases in Rockport. All. The. Time. They usually cover them up, but a civilian found the body in this one and blabbed to her friends before the police could do anything about it. People go missing. They all seem to be connected somehow to InterNexus. If corporations are people, then that one’s a sociopath.
PM-me-your-cat-pics · 4 points · 5 hours ago (Upvote | Downvote)
sounds like bullshit to me
e8d89d4c41 · -1 points · 5 hours ago (Upvote | Downvote)
You’re making shit up this guy’s never been to Rockport
tech_guy_in_tech · 3 points · 3 hours ago (Upvote | Downvote)
I work for InterNexus, but not at the Rockport HQ. It’s just a normal tech company.
flipperdipper · 77 points · 6 hours ago (Upvote | Downvote)
My daughter went missing in Rockport right after they opened their headquarters there. They never found her.
phreakshow · 80 points · 4 hours ago (Upvote | Downvote)
yeah, mine too.
<user deleted> · -97 points · 2 hours ago (Upvote | Downvote)
There was no body. The whole thing’s a trap. The police and InterNexus are both in on it. They control that town. They want to flush out the scammers.
Excerpt retrieved from: https://www.rockportpostgazette.com, 22 September 2019, “Missing tech worker turns up alive”
Adam DiBona, the local man who had gone missing and was presumed to be dead, returned to his house yesterday evening. Rockport police confirmed the man was unharmed. They blamed the disappearance on a combination of medicines Mr. DiBona was taking, which caused temporary confusion and led to him walking away the night of his disappearance.
InterNexus Technologies released a short statement expressing gratitude for Mr. DiBona’s reappearance and exonerating him from any involvement in the Dark Web scheme.
The case of the Hill Ravine body, originally though to be that of Mr. DiBona, remains unsolved. Anyone with information on the crime is asked to contact the Rockport Police Department.
From the digital archives of DigiSkyComm, Inc, dated 19 September 2019, 00:12 local time. The following account has been pieced together from the cached archives of DSC’s vaults. The source material includes voice transcriptions of a phone call and descriptions of video taken with a mobile device at one of the call endpoints. The users are (617)335-xxxx [1] and (425)555-xxxx [2], and the video feed was recorded by user 2.
<begin transcript>
1: Dude, you didn’t answer my texts! I thought they caught you or something.
2: I’m in. I’m hiding in a cable closet. I’m <unintelligible>
1: There was someone else on the chat.
2: There’s a door ahead. I’m in the second subbasement. This place is way bigger than I thought.
1: How’d you get so far?
2: There’s no one here after I got by the front guard. It’s the weirdest thing.
<clattering noises>
2: I’m at the door. It’s unlocked. <creaking noise>
<static>
2: I’m walking down the steps. This room is crazy. The wires are like <unintelligible> arranged in a fucking pentagram! What. The. Hell? You have to see this shit.
<clanking noises>
The video feed starts here. The video quality is poor, with significant pixellation and low contrast. At first, only the vaguest of shapes is discernible. The frame moves around wildly and then comes into a soft focus that never improves. The room itself is dark with what looks like candlelight spread throughout. The light is tinted orange.
Several servers are arranged in the middle of the room in a geometric shape, like pillars. The main light source seems to come from the center of the ring of machines. Either the light is flickering, or something is moving in the center.
2: There’s a shadow in the middle of it all.
The flickering in the center of the servers grows more intense. A shadow rises.
1: Hide!
2: Shit, there’s <unintelligible>
<roaring noise followed by screams>
The video frame swings almost 180 degrees and goes dark once again.
1: You still there?
<noises like a hollow pipe hitting against a cement wall>
1: Shit, dude, what’s happening?
1: Dude?
<static, followed by gurgling noises>
1: I’m calling the police.
2: No <wheezing>
1: I—
2: Nooo <heavy breathing>
The video reappears for approximately 1/12 of a second (two frames) and seems to show a human face with deep-set eyes and either a mask or a beard concealing its lower half. However, the contrast is so low that the images could simply be artifacts of the digital recording.
1: I’m calling 9-1-1.
A third voice can be heard over the phone, although it is extremely garbled. We denote this voice [3] in what follows. A personal identifier has been anonymized in this section.
2: What…
3: You didn’t think you’d <unintelligible>
2: Who are you? <wheezing>
3: <hissing and fizzling> The internet <unintelligible> blood. Nothing comes for free. You’re lucky you get to see <unintelligible>. You don’t like? Maybe this is more to your <unintelligible>.
1: Is everything okay? What’s, who’s that?
3: Does this <unintelligible, and when the voice returns, it seems to have a higher pitch> please you? As the last <unintelligible, then screaming, followed by silence>
1: B—, is that you?
3: The one and only.
<end transcript>
| EXHIBIT THREE: Return to “Ash-Ray Wednesday“ | Proceed to the first Gallery Four: Workplaces Redefined attraction, “The Slide“ |