Recently, news of a security breach resulting in the leak of potentially millions of United States social security numbers hit the media. A group of hackers stole billions of records from National Public Data. Which is a background check company. That leaked data then found itself on a free hacking forum on the dark web. This obviously resulted in the compromised sensitive data of millions of Americans.

The global average cost of a data breach in 2024 is 10% higher than last year. At 4.88 million USD, this is also the highest total ever! The dark web is a treasure trove for sensitive information such as this. It is also available to hackers all over the world.

The prevalence of this issue is why large corporations must continually monitor for any suspicious activity. Prioritizing and protecting sensitive information against cybercrime means avoiding large financial losses, among other crises. However, monitoring activity is only half of the equation.

Offering cybersecurity training to your employees, and making sure to enforce it, is also necessary. After all, preventing cybersecurity breaches is way easier than having to neutralize one. Today let’s talk about both of these important practices, both dark web monitoring and cybersecurity training.

Exploring the Internet

If you haven’t heard about the dark web before, let me give you a quick rundown. We will start with a fun iceberg metaphor. That’s right, think of the internet as an iceberg. With a small fraction of it poking out of the water, while underneath rests a much larger body of ice. The basic user will never actually see below the surface. This is why we call that top layer of the internet the “surface web”. It is easily accessible through search engines such as the following:

Google Chrome.
Internet Explorer.
Firefox.

You don’t need any special software to access these websites. Below the surface, however, rests the “deep web”. You do need special software to access it. Now, some people use this interchangeably with “dark web”, but the two terms are different.

Estimates that the deep web makes up roughly 90% of the internet illuminates just how large the online space is! This portion of the internet is not as scary as it sounds. This is to say, not everything found on the deep web is illegal or unsafe. In fact, there are two large parts of the deep web that organizations regularly use:

Databases.
Intranets.

While these web pages are not identifiable by search engines, you can use visible links to access them. These are almost always hidden by password protection and other security walls. There are some dark areas of the deep web, though. Venture even deeper and you might reach areas where people go to pirate music and other forms of media illegally.

What about the dark web?

But the deepest you can go, rests in the dark web, the focus of our blog today. This portion of the internet is quite a bit smaller than the deep web, but a part of it is all the same. It’s even smaller than the surface web. These hidden website pages can only become accessible through specialized browsers and router technology.

Many journalists and political activists use this space for their protection. This is because the dark web makes it easy for users to stay anonymous and make sure their devices are untraceable.

The construction of the dark web includes:

No webpage indexing by surface web search engines such as Google Chrome or Firefox. These search engines cannot display results for dark web pages.
Consists of virtual traffic tunnels. This is via a randomized network infrastructure.
Has a unique registry operator, which makes it inaccessible to traditional browsers.
Hidden by various network security measures. These include systems such as firewalls and encryption.

Although not everything that takes place on the dark web is illegal, it holds a bad reputation due to criminals exploiting its benefits. That’s right, you can’t get in trouble for accessing the dark web. It’s just what you do with it that matters. It’s no secret that this is the place where illegal acts such as trafficking drugs, weapons, and other acts of exploitation run rampant.

You might be wondering how any of this has to do with your business. I mean, unless your employees are partaking in some seedy activity via the dark web during work hours, why should you care? As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, your sensitive data is another hot product that hackers can monetize on the dark web. That’s right, your company data could sell to the highest bidder for a handsome price. Leaving you nothing more than a sitting duck in the water.

How does dark web monitoring benefit businesses?

As we go over the benefits of implementing dark web monitoring into your organization’s operations, keep in mind this is just a condensed list. Data breaches and cyberattacks act like a ripple effect in the water. They affect more than you initially might be able to see. Compromised credentials, credit card details, addresses, and social security numbers can lead to a variety of problems. And the scariest part about this? You may not even know that a hacker stole your information.

Introducing… your dark web monitoring solution! This software scans the dark web, looking for leaked data and any of your business details. Not only that, but the right solution can scan the internet for even a hint of a planned attack against your organization. All of this without needing your IT or security staff to venture into the dark web themselves.

How to implement dark web monitoring?

The dark web is an unknown space, which makes monitoring it complex. However, there are some basic tools and key features that you want to make sure you utilize when choosing software. Let’s go over the multi-stage cycle that is dark web monitoring.

These tools help to identify and remediate data breaches:

Scanning - Your system should scan the dark web at all hours of the day. This way you can identify threats as soon as they happen. Continuous monitoring with a platform that has broad visibility is best. The dark web is big, consisting of chat rooms, marketplaces, and more. Your company’s information can be anywhere.
Identifying - This step identifies the data scanned. As well as how far the breach reaches. Crawlers, scrapers, and scanners are all able to identify risks and analyze data in realtime. This can also help you better understand why these breaches happen in the first place.
Alerting - The receiving of notifications as soon as a breach occurs. These notifications need to convey as much information as possible to the administrator user.
Reporting - Provides comprehensive reports that highlight vulnerabilities in your organization. Calculating a risk score associated with your organization is helpful for continuously monitoring specific assets so you can adjust your security tools as necessary.
Repeat - This process is ongoing. Compiling comprehensive reports over time as it continues to scan the dark web for more threats.

Cybersecurity Training Dark Web Protection

Being able to integrate dark web monitoring is essential, but should not be your only defense against cybercrime. Comprehensive cybersecurity training helps foster a security-focused culture within your organization, adding an extra layer of defense. Identifying and addressing dark web threats effectively becomes second nature to those who practice awareness and continued cybersecurity education.

Training modules and simulations that focus on dark web threats, phishing, and other social engineering tactics allow your employees to experience first-hand what warning signs to look out for. This ongoing training reinforces your employee’s ability to both recognize and swiftly report/address potential threats.

Conclusion

The looming threat of cybercrime and data breaches emphasizes the importance of dark web monitoring for all businesses. Be sure to prioritize both the proactive approach and at the same time monitor for potential threats when it comes to safeguarding your sensitive data. This not only protects your data but also mitigates financial losses and protects your reputation as an organization.

Staying up to date with industry changes and technological advancements means keeping up with the latest cybersecurity training and education. Make sure you not only choose a solution advanced enough to safely and effectively scan the dark web, but also invest in training and modules that include the latest in social engineering trends and cybersecurity threats.