The dark web is seeing a surge in job activity, attracting laid-off professionals, teenagers, and skilled tech talent, according to a new report by Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence.
The study, titled Inside the Dark Web Job Market: Their Talent, Our Threat, reveals a twofold increase in job-related posts on underground forums in early 2024 compared with the same period a year earlier. Activity remained high through the first half of 2025.
Kaspersky found that résumés now outnumber vacancies 55 per cent to 45 per cent, driven by global layoffs and a rising number of younger candidates. The median age of job seekers was just 24, with a notable presence of teenagers. Most roles are linked to cybercrime or other illegal activities, though a small number of legitimate opportunities were identified.
The report paints a picture of a shadow labour market where 69 per cent of job seekers did not specify a preferred field, signalling a willingness to accept almost any paid work. The most in-demand positions include developers (17 per cnet), penetration testers (12 per cent), money launderers (11 per cent), carders (6 per cent), and traffers (5 per cent), roles that collectively sustain a mature and organised cybercriminal ecosystem.
Gender differences were also noted: women tended to apply for support and technical assistance jobs, while men were more likely to pursue high-risk technical or financial roles such as developers or money mules.
Salaries varied widely. Reverse engineers earned the most, averaging more than $5,000 a month, followed by penetration testers at $4,000 and developers at $2,000. Fraudsters were often paid a share of total profits, with money launderers typically earning 20 per cent, carders 30 per cent, and traffers up to 50 per cent.
“The shadow job market is no longer peripheral; it’s absorbing the unemployed, the underage, and the overqualified,” said Alexandra Fedosimova, Digital Footprint Analyst at Kaspersky.
“Many arrive thinking that the dark web and the legal market are fundamentally alike, rewarding proven skills over diplomas, with the dark web even offering some benefits – like offers landing within 48 hours and no HR interviews. However, not many realise that working on the dark web can lead to prison.”
Kaspersky urged parents, educators, and employers to raise awareness of the risks, highlighting the need to guide young people toward legitimate tech careers.
The report is based on 2,225 job-related posts published on dark web forums between January 2023 and June 2025.
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