Note

The September 2026 Dark Web Issue Trend Report summarizes major issues that occurred on the deep web and dark web. However, the report notes that due to the nature of the sources, it may be difficult to fully verify the accuracy of some information.

Major Issues

• The official launch of a new dark web marketplace, Sentinel Market, was announced through the dark web forum Dread. Details such as the items sold and the marketplace’s operating procedures have not been independently verified.
• The cybercrime forum PwnForums disclosed its founding background and operating policies, and also explained the process of migrating account data from BreachForums. PwnForums emerged in March 2026, led by former administrators following the collapse of the BreachForums network, and appeared to be aiming to ensure continuity of its user base by inheriting existing BreachForums accounts, ranks, and credits.
• RaidForums announced a domain change and provided details on the new domain. Since RaidForums had already changed its primary domain last July, these domain changes have become a recurring pattern.
• New dark web markets continue to emerge amid repeated closures and operational instability of existing markets. Initially, promotion to attract sellers and buyers tends to take place through communities such as Dread.
• Since account and reputation information from the BreachForums network can be carried over to successor forums, the user base can remain active even if a forum is shut down.
• The repeated domain changes by these forums appear to be a response to domain blocking or seizure, and there is a possibility that users may be redirected to fake sites impersonating the new domain.

Conclusion

In September 2026, key trends observed included the official launch of Sentinel Market, the migration of BreachForums data to PwnForums, and a domain change for RaidForums. The simultaneous emergence of new marketplaces, the migration of user bases, and domain changes demonstrate that the dark web ecosystem remains fluid. Organizations need to continuously monitor the emergence of new markets and forums, whether their data is being traded, and changes in the management and infrastructure of BreachForums-affiliated forums and RaidForums. Since the accuracy of some information may be difficult to fully verify, it is advisable to cross-check it with reports from other security firms.