The 2020 study of Broadband Search shows that the dark web generates at least $500,000 a day from illegal activities. And just to give you a perceptive, the dark web is estimated to be at least 500 times larger than the surface web. (Here the surface web signifies the searchable information on Google, Bing, and other search engines). It’s time for you to implement Dark Web Monitoring.
And if you’re thinking that this threat only applies to big corporations then, well, you’re wrong! The recent SEC report states that the most affected businesses are small-scale ones — 43% to be precise!
But what exactly is the dark web and why is it such a big threat? Let’s understand this…
What Is The Dark Web?
Dark web is an overlay network built on top of the public internet that requires multiple layers of anonymity to get access and use it to full functionality.
These networks are also called darknets and can be only accessed through specialized software like Tor. Tor makes sure that your anonymity is intact. The reason it is dangerous is that there is no government control and moderation. Any kind of activity is allowed.
Thus, cybercriminals thrive in this digital atmosphere by carrying out illegal activities like data theft and reselling (phishing), blackmail, cyber attacks, exploitation after hacking, stalking, and credit card fraud.
Why Is The Dark Web Dangerous?
Dark web gives safe passage and a ‘secure’ space to criminals carrying out crimes like phishing and cyber exploitations.
After the credentials are extracted, an auction is conducted and the highest bidder gets all these credentials.
And if this was not already enough, the next generation cyberthreats have evolved astonishingly and project even greater threat.
But you should have a detailed idea of how the illegal phishing and identity theft attacks are conducted. Here are different ways your business can be exploited:
1. Stealing Employee Credentials
Hackers can make use of social engineering attacks and steal sensitive information about your organization. They can do this with the help of social engineering attacks like:
a. Creating Look-alike Links
Hackers can create look alike links whenever your employee visits crucial websites. These websites ask to retype the credentials after giving a fake response of “incorrect password”. And unknowingly when an employee enters the right login credentials, hackers steal that information.
b. Creating Fake Urgencies/Scenarios
Hackers can use tactics like a fake audit or inspection and ask employees a fraction of credentials pretending to confirm their identity and use that to carry out the attack. These attacks are as dangerous as the previous attack.
c. Conducting Quid Pro Quo Attacks
This attack compels an employee by baiting him to spell out the original credentials. The attacker does this by promising to do a complicated task for the employee and in return asks to confirm crucial information like social security number (SSA) or an employee ID.
Example: A hacker starts by pretending to be your organization’s security expert and tells your employer that their SSA or employee ID is compromised and thus, they first need to reconfirm the credentials in order to start the retrieval process.
This is a very effective identity theft method and without even realizing, the employee spells out the details and thus, becomes a victim.
2. Exploits
Hackers have different motives behind a planned cyber attack. Not always do they want to resell credentials. They can also use the dark web for credit card frauds and for carrying out personal vendettas.
As per the U.S. Government, credit card fraud is one of the most rising crimes of this century and the dark web is its safehouse.
3. Stalks
This is a rare scenario but highly possible. Your competitors can make use of this safehouse (dark web) to stalk your business growth and plan.
They can do this by buying the stolen employee credentials. There are 100s of other methods through which your credentials and other crucial information can be extracted.
How Can Dark Web Monitoring Protect Your Business?
This ever-growing threat can only be countered by hiring cybersecurity agencies that specialize in dark web monitoring services.
Cybersecurity companies like Xperteks create a DARKWEB ID for your business to help detect your compromised credentials in real-time on the dark web. Once detected, you are immediately notified when these critical assets are compromised, before they convert into identity theft, data breaches, and other crimes.
Benefits Of Dark Web Monitoring
- 24*7 Scan
- Immediate Notification Upon Detection
- Unique DARK WEB ID
Dark web monitoring involves a rigorous crawling process that makes use of prominent keywords related to the organization to root out the stolen data and hence the DARKWEB ID is successful in reporting 80,000+ emails daily with its 24-hours monitoring for 365 days.
With a dedicated dark web monitoring service, you can rest assured that your crucial credentials are secure and you can focus entirely on scaling your business.
In times like these where everyone is forced to work from home, cybersecurity breaches and theft activities are higher than ever. Employees do not have the required level of security on their home internet network. Hence, hackers can find it easier than ever to carry out the above-mentioned attacks.
And if these attacks are successfully carried out, they can harm your brand value and trigger a major cyberattack.
Thus, a dedicated dark web monitoring service should be deployed to protect the assets and integrity of your organization.
What Next?
The growing threat of advanced cyber-attacks on critical business systems presents a unique challenge for small businesses, thus cybersecurity in NYC becomes essential for every business.
We at Xperteks first analyze your business needs, further providing you with the cybersecurity service that meets those needs. Our experts are just one call away at 212.206.6262, feel free to book an appointment with us to ensure your business security at all times.
