What Is the Dark Web?
Are you looking for information on the dark web? Great, you’re reading the right article.
‘The internet’ is a term you are probably already familiar with as it plays a big role in our daily routines. When someone mentions the internet, you probably instantly think of websites and marketplaces. However, the internet is so much more than this. The internet is divided into three branches: the surface web, the deep web, and the dark web. What you are typically exposed to as you surf the web through search engines and web browsers, commonly known as the surface web, makes up only 4% of the entire internet.
The ‘dark web’ is another term that you’re probably already familiar with by now. In most cases, this term is associated with criminal activities. But what exactly is the dark web? The dark web refers to the part of the internet that isn’t indexed or visible by conventional web browsers and search engines (Yahoo, Google, and Bing).
To learn more about the dark web, watch the video below:
How Can You Access the Dark Web?
Similar to the surface web, the dark web consists of websites, marketplace. However, it requires an anonymous browser to access it. The web browser used to access the dark web is known as The Onion Router (TOR). It works by obscuring the end-users IP addresses using a random path of encrypted servers, which help encrypt the traffic from their computers. This allows people who don’t want to give away their locations and identity to service providers to access the dark web without their browser history being exposed and their actions tracked.
While the dark web enables people with genuine concerns to have some privacy and avoid governmental data collection and spying, this same privacy level is available to people with ill intentions.
What Forms of Cybercrime Activities Lurk in the Dark Web? The dark web is commonly known to be the criminal activity hub. These crimes mostly involve the selling and buying of stolen data. This data ranges from credit card information, company financial information, account usernames and passwords, bank account information, and business operational data. According to research, the number of stolen passwords in circulation on the dark web has increased by 300% since 2018.
A primary interest for company executives is the darknet marketplaces (DNMs). Effortless access to these marketplaces has made it easier for anyone to sell sensitive corporate data without exposing themselves. Through DNMs, people can quickly sell their products and services to anonymous persons who often pay in cryptocurrency for even greater anonymity.
How Can You Limit Your Exposure to the Dark Web? As a company, you may think implementing cybersecurity controls on your systems is enough security. However, if you don’t monitor what company data is on the dark web and DNMs, you’ll not be sure how adequate your controls are. Scanning the dark web will help you know what company data is available on the dark web. It will also help you identify what cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities you are exposed to unknowingly.
What Steps Can You Take to Protect Your Business If You Are dealing With Corporate Dark Web Threats?
- Establish a response policy to guide your response to sensitive data or IP addresses appearing on the dark web.
- Hire a proactive cyber threat monitoring and reaction team to detect intrusions before they get out of control.
- Use robust encryption methods on all your sensitive data.
- Monitor hardware and network use by employees and investigate dark web access and activity.
As a business executive, you need to start thinking about dark web monitoring for your company. Without the ability to monitor the dark web, interactions that may concern your company go unnoticed and are never acted upon. It’s always better to be a step ahead of cybercriminals since having your data fall into the wrong hands may lead to catastrophic results for your business.
Are You Worried That Your Organization’s Data May Be Available on the Dark Web?
Alliance Technology Partners has years of experience in offering dark web monitoring and cybersecurity solutions to businesses throughout St Louis and Grand Rapid.
Schedule an appointment with us today, and let us help you find out what information about your business is larking on the dark web.
