Dark Web Monitoring-as-a-Service: Protect Your Organization from Data Breaches
Introduction
Businesses today are facing increasingly sophisticated attacks from cyber criminals and hackers. According to an IBM analysis report each data breach on average costs $3.92 million with almost half of all victims of data breaches being small businesses. On top of direct financial losses, your business may be liable for the damage impacting your customers. To mitigate and catch data leaks, you will need to understand how the dark web plays a role in this.
Nature of the Dark Web
The dark web is a hidden collective of websites accessible with a specialized web browser. It helps keep Internet activity anonymous and private, making it an easy source of abuse for bad actors looking to steal secure information. After they access an organization’s network, bad cyber criminals will often sell your information anonymously and privately on the dark web. Fortunately, there are dark web monitoring services that can warn you of any data breaches.
Dark Web Monitoring
Dark web monitoring involves the use of specialized software or tools that scan the dark web for specific keywords, usernames, or other identifiers. The purpose is to detect any mentions related to a particular organization, individual, or sensitive information. Dark web monitoring can assist in the following activities:
- Stolen data: Monitoring for the presence of sensitive information such as marketing data, usernames, or trade secrets that may have been compromised and offered for sale.
- Threat intelligence: Gathering information about incoming cyber threats, including discussions about hacking techniques, zero-day vulnerabilities, or planned attacks.
- Fraudulent activities: Monitoring discussions or offers related to targeted financial fraud, phishing scams, or other fraudulent schemes.
- Reputation management: Tracking mentions of a company, brand, or individual to identify any attempts at defamation, smear campaigns, or unauthorized sharing of sensitive information.
Conclusion
Dark web monitoring alone does not prevent or mitigate the risks associated with the dark web. Instead, it serves as a proactive measure to identify potential threats and take appropriate actions, such as notifying the affected parties, reporting to law enforcement, or implementing additional security measures.
