Understanding the Role Dark Web Monitoring Plays in Your Cybersecurity
The World Wide Web is frequently compared to an iceberg, with parts we can see and some that lie under the surface. The dark web is a part of the deep web that is not indexed by search engines. While you can reach websites on the deep web easily, you need a TOR browser and knowledge about how the dark web works or a dark web scan to do the same for the dark web.
What Does This Have to Do with My Security?
Dark web pages are accessed through the TOR network, which uses different computers to route information from you to a server and back. The data is encrypted and then decrypted as it goes through the network. This provides it with a lot of protection as the decryption keys are only held by the computers on the nodes through which the request and response pass through.
Because of this encryption, the dark web is the perfect place for the trading of information without either party landing in trouble (there are exceptions). Most data stolen from company servers, personal devices and other sources often lands on the dark web where it is sold to other parties who want to leverage it in different ways. This data can include login information, credit card data, identification numbers, and so on.
Dark Web Scan Monitoring
Cybersecurity experts use monitoring tools to see if their data exists on the dark web. These tools alert businesses and customers if their data is found in any “data dump” being sold on the dark web. Knowing this is happening is not possible for individuals for the reasons described above, but it is possible with these tools.
Identify Breaches and Data Exchanges Early
If customer or business data has been around the dark web for some time, it would be of no use to try to recover it because it will have been exhausted for its utility a long time ago. However, businesses can be alerted of breaches and data access as early as possible so they can alert the affected parties.
Some tools on the market also check for data exchanges and try to get access to this data. By doing so, they can identify if your data is in a data dump as soon as possible and alert you.
Using our free dark web scan the business can also start looking at its infrastructure to know where the breach happened. It can then plug any vulnerabilities it finds to protect itself from future incidents.
Prevent Account Takeovers
Malicious actors try to identify the most important email addresses in these dumps so they can change credentials and take over these accounts as soon as possible. Early detection made possible by dark web monitoring can flag usernames and passwords on the dark web which can trigger password reset protocols.
These protocols can reduce the amount of time malicious actors have to take over the account. These protocols can also alert IT personnel that a breach has happened so they can start looking for the vulnerability responsible for it.
Dark web monitoring is essential for today’s businesses. It can help minimise the amount of damage malicious actors can do by removing the tools they would use to harm a business.