The anonymity of the dark web is what makes it dangerous. It allows hackers to roam without surveillance, making it the center for illicit activities. Understanding the dark web, data breaches, how to react if your sensitive data is exposed, and how to protect your sensitive information can help save your data from falling into the wrong hands.
What is the Dark Web?
The dark web is an area of the internet that is not available through traditional search engines that consists of a network of websites, forums, and communication tools used to run a suite of security tools that help anonymize web traffic. It’s a huge market for criminal activity, especially for stolen data. Data is a hot commodity on the dark web, where people buy and sell sensitive information, much of it stolen through network breaches. Your business credentials are most likely on the dark web right now. You should be leveraging dark web scanning to see what information is out there and understand the steps you need to take to protect compromised accounts.
What is a Data Breach?
A data breach is a release of confidential information in an untrusted environment. Usernames, passwords, account numbers, financial records, credit card details, medical records, etc. are up for grabs if you do not have the precautions in place to safeguard your data. With today’s clever cyberattacks, it’s not a matter of if, but when your organization will be breached. Cybercriminals can use your stolen data to commit identity theft, fraud, or infiltrate your network to go after your business and financial accounts.
Stay Off the Dark Web and Avoid a Data Breach
It is imperative to protect your business’s sensitive information from the dark web. By understanding the risks that the dark web poses, you can take the appropriate precautions for your company by implementing and maintaining strong cyber-privacy practices. Such practices include continually monitoring the dark web, so you’re notified the moment your information is at risk.
A couple of ways to protect your information from the dark web:
- Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all Internet-accessible services. You should establish strict password and account rules for everyone in your organization.
- Train your employees to be aware of security threats, and how to counter them.
- Never share usernames and passwords. If credentials are shared, make sure you change them immediately to avoid a compromise.
- Have a plan in place for security incidents, and make sure that your employees understand their role in mitigating risk.
- Leverage Dark Web Monitoring services. Some security organizations can track the dark web for any information or activity related to your organization.
There are many more ways to protect your information from leaking on the dark web. You need to make sure you and your team are prepared to respond quickly and effectively when a data breach inevitably occurs. Having some of these practices in place will give you peace of mind that you’re taking the necessary steps to protect your organization’s data and reputation.
How We Can Help
Our Dark Web Monitoring services provide your organization with protection against data breaches. We conduct a monthly scan of the dark web marketplaces, where stolen information is bought and sold. If any of the client’s employees’ credentials appear in our scan, that means there has been a data leak. We will inform you of the leak through a report that we will generate and deliver after every scan. By being aware of the leak, you can take action to remediate any exposed credentials and know which account(s) to review for any malicious activity.
We apply our Framework for Successful IT approach to all aspects of our outsourced IT services and consulting. Find out how our team can inform you of any malicious activity and keep your business’s data off the dark web.