Underground forums (not to be confused with underground marketplaces) are online discussion communities that exist on both the clear web (such as HackForums, OGU) or in the dark web (such as dread, DarkForums, and historically RaidForums & Breached) accessible only through Tor or i2p, in which participants exchange information, tools, and services related to cybercrime and other illicit or semi-licit online activity. Topics discussed on underground forums range from malware development and the brokering of stolen data to fraud techniques, account compromise, forged identity documents, and various forms of digital abuse; some forums also overlap with dark web marketplaces trading in physical contraband such as drugs and weapons. While some underground forums require invitation, vetting, or paid membership to access certain sections, many operate as open or semi-open communities that anyone willing to register can access.
Underground forums are studied by computer security researchers, criminologists, and social scientists as a window into the organization, culture, and economics of cybercrime communities, and as a potential source of early cyber threat intelligence (CTI). Participants often discuss new techniques and vulnerabilities before they are publicly disclosed, and forum discussion has been found to precede formal security reporting for a majority of tracked threat entities.
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