The dark web is usually known as the dangerous part of the internet used by criminals. But what business owners may not be aware of is how this clandestine part of the web could affect their business’s cyber security. Understanding the nature of company data breaches and how dark web activates can pose a risk to further breaches and malicious attacks is vital in informing a company’s overall cybersecurity strategy.
The dangers of the dark web for businesses
According to recent research by Cyber Edge, the majority of data breaches – some 80% – were due to poor password practices leading to account takeovers. With a business’s network left open, hackers can wreak havoc on a system and steal company data and digital assets to hold to ransom.
There are many methods that cyber criminals use to get hold of passwords, including phishing, malware, social engineering and exploiting vulnerabilities. But they also use the dark web to buy this information.
This data will have been gathered from an initial breach, which is then sold on the dark web, either individually or in larger data sets, to other hackers, who then attack the business again. For many companies, this can result in a vicious and costly cycle of cyber-attacks. This is one reason why Cyber Edge’s report showed that a quarter of all participants had experienced between 6-10 attacks on their business in a single year. With this data freely available on the dark web, hackers do not even need to crack a user’s password, they already have all the credentials at their fingertips.
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How can you find out if your company’s information is on the dark web?
While businesses often focus their security efforts on certain cyber threats, the threat of company data on the dark web can remain a blind spot. This is where dark web monitoring can provide an essential layer of security when incorporated into your overall cyber security strategy.
A dark web scan can be carried out by an IT professional. The scan involves indexing collections of stolen data and comparing them to your company’s data profile to see if any data has been compromised. If identified, measures can be taken to change, adapt and reinforce compromised areas in your IT security to prevent further attacks
Find out more
If you would like to know more about cyber security monitoring for your business, or any other aspect of this article contact Andrew Wayman at andrew.wayman@sdt.co.uk or call our office on +44 (0)1344 870062.