New Kilos Search Engine Launches in the Darknet

Security experts from IntSights, a company specializing in darknet threat analysis, have examined a new search engine called Kilos, which began advertising itself online in mid-November 2019. The developers first announced Kilos on Reddit on November 15, 2019, describing it as “a new search engine for darknet marketplaces.”

Of course, Kilos is not the first or only darknet search engine—others like Torch and TorLinks have existed for some time. However, the creators of Kilos claim their product offers more advanced filtering options for finding specific products across numerous marketplaces.

Origins and Features of Kilos

Researchers note that Kilos appears to have been built on the foundation of another search engine known as Grams. Both Kilos and Grams mimic Google’s design and are named after units of weight, but the similarities end there. It remains unclear whether the same developers are behind both projects or if Kilos is a direct competitor to Grams. Experts point out that Kilos has gone further than its rivals by including forums in its search results in addition to marketplaces.

With Kilos, users can search specific darknet marketplaces for particular goods or services. A visitor enters the desired product or service, and the query is run through various marketplaces and forums. Researchers also highlight Kilos’s powerful filtering capabilities. For example, users can limit searches to vendors who accept Bitcoin, Litecoin, or Monero and who can ship to a specific country. Kilos allows users to search multiple marketplaces at once without needing accounts on each one.

Interestingly, the search engine’s filtering options are closely tied to those of individual marketplaces, leading researchers to speculate that major marketplaces and Kilos may use the same filtering mechanism.

Growth and Usage Statistics

Earlier this month, Kilos’s creators claimed the search engine had indexed 427,150 forum posts, 48,437 listings, and 1,993 vendors. At the time of IntSights’s research, Kilos reported having processed 15,437 search queries since November 10, 2019.

Another notable feature of Kilos is its weekly publication of the top search queries. Experts report that, as expected, drugs dominate the list, but there are also searches for weapons, passports, and banks (meaning bank card data).

Potential Impact and Monetization

IntSights analysts believe that Kilos could be useful not only to criminals but also to law enforcement agencies. While authorities already have their own agents on marketplaces and forums, a search engine like Kilos could help them gather information more efficiently.

“For example, a spike in high-ranking search queries over a certain period could indicate increased criminal interest—possibly related to new types of malware being advertised on forums. Knowing where certain products are sold can aid investigations into specific vendors, while correlating this with cryptocurrency movement can provide deeper insights,” the experts write.

Currently, it is unclear how the operators of Kilos plan to monetize their search engine. Analysts believe it will almost certainly be through advertising. In fact, the homepage already features an offer for free advertising credit for vendors.