Fri, Aug 30, 2024
With tens of thousands of potential threats lurking in remote corners of the deep and dark web, organizations are increasingly at risk of being targeted by cyber attackers or having their sensitive information traded or leaked online. Deep and dark web monitoring enables businesses to safeguard their digital assets and accelerate visibility of online threats, protecting their brand and reputation.
As cyber risks evolve, understanding and implementing this type of monitoring is crucial for businesses to detect and respond to potential security threats that originate from the dark corners of the internet. This article delves into the critical role of dark web monitoring in modern cybersecurity strategies, as well as outlining its core benefits and what to look for in a potential provider,
Dark web monitoring is a type of digital risk protection service which enables organizations to continuously search for and track information on the deep and dark web in order to advance defenses and support early detection of potential cyber-attacks.
As a form of threat intelligence service, dark web monitoring entails searching the deep and dark web for file sharing networks, forums and other types of communication channels to uncover information relating to an organization and its customers.
As well as providing vital information about the nature and extent of compromised data on all areas of the internet, dark web monitoring for business provides valuable insights into evolving adversary tactics and approaches. It offers a proactive approach to mitigating a fast-evolving area of vulnerability for organizations, helping to inform strategic defenses against future cyber-attacks. Rather than being a one-off exercise, effective dark web monitoring is a continuous process in which a unique set of search criteria are created and regularly updated to defend a company’s assets and reputation.
Dark web monitoring continually checks for compromised login credentials such as usernames and passwords and analyzes this information in order to assess the potential threat level posed to an organization.
Credentials that have been stolen or obtained by an unauthorized person or entity and can be used to access sensitive information or systems. This can then create the risk of data breaches, phishing attacks, malware infections, brute force attacks and other forms of cyber threat. Dark web monitoring for business focuses on two key areas of the internet which go beyond the surface web that is accessed by most people day-to-day, without any restrictions:
Dark web monitoring can uncover various types of information, including:
This type of data is critical to the effective running and management of many types of businesses. As a result, monitoring for its mis-use online is critical to early and effective threat detection and data breach protection.
The advantages of deep and dark web monitoring include:
Dark web monitoring enables businesses to better understand the potential threat to their assets and reputation by uncovering the type of information that has been stolen or leaked and put on the deep and dark web. It ensures that companies can gain a clear picture of any form of confidential data accessed by attackers, even if they were not aware of a specific breach.
Dark web monitoring allows businesses to quickly find out whether they are being subjected to a data breach – or have been in the past. In the case of the former, this information will accelerate the decision-making and response process, while the latter will advance knowledge of the company’s vulnerabilities and how to address them. The insight gained helps organizations to better understand their security weaknesses and strengthen their defenses.
Another key benefit is that dark web monitoring helps organizations to reduce the amount of time between a data breach occurring and being discovered , helping to shrink the window in which threat actors can take advantage of sensitive information.
Alongside its core function, dark web monitoring plays a key role in validating whether or not an organization’s existing security tools are functioning as intended. This allows businesses to better gauge the effectiveness of their security infrastructure and identify any aspects that need updating or changing.
Dark web monitoring allows businesses to identify and address any threat actor activity more quickly and effectively. By searching and locating potential abuse and impersonation of their brand on the deep and dark web, companies can maintain greater control of how they are perceived and protect their intellectual property while also reducing the risk of financial harm.
A comprehensive dark web monitoring approach can help companies to maintain compliance with key industry regulations, helping them to avoid fines, litigation and reputational damage.
Taking proactive steps to monitor and address potential threats on the deep and dark web to defend their brand and business reputation can support companies’ efforts to maintain a competitive advantage.
Dark web monitoring for business is usually deployed in three stages:
A dark web monitoring services provider should comprehensively assess an organization’s existing security posture to clearly understand its specific business vulnerabilities.
This stage involves the integration of dark web monitoring tools with existing security systems. The vendor’s threat intelligence analysts use a combination of automated and manual data collection methods to monitor for any exposures across surface, deep and dark web sources, including ransomware shaming sites, criminal marketplaces, private forums, closed and private bin/paste sites and Tor chat platforms.
They then filter out false positives and duplicates to deliver an early warning of targeted malicious activity in the form of alerts that could be indicative of an impending, targeted attack campaign on your organization. Dark web monitoring tools work by ingesting large quantities of data and correlating it with a list of keywords to be monitored on a daily basis. This list is optimized over time to support specific monitoring objectives or risk profiles. Common keywords are likely to include:
Types of activity monitored includes:
The monitoring tools provide automated alerts in response to what they find online. These, alongside regular reporting, will ensure that organizations are able to quickly respond to any risk when their credentials, brand or other key collateral is being shared and used on the deep and dark web.
It is critical that the vendor ensures that monitoring tools are regularly updated and tested. This is more of an ongoing process than a one-off step, as is training relevant in-house staff on how to manage the system, and updating protocols as threats evolve.
To achieve the best from deep and dark web monitoring, ensure that your provider meets the following criteria:
The deep and the dark web cover many different areas. Check that your prospective dark web services provider offers true breadth of service in terms of scope and the types of threats monitored.
No two organizations have the same risk profile or security priorities. As a result, it is essential that your chosen dark web monitoring service provides customizable alerts and thresholds to meet your specific business needs. Ensure that you ask about the level of potential customization at an early stage.
Given the broad-ranging scope of the deep and dark web, it is essential to choose a dark web monitoring service capable of analyzing large volumes of data, while also being flexible enough to meet your organization’s evolving needs.
Your prospective vendor should be able to deliver detailed information that will actively enhance your security strategy. Ask them to provide examples of how they triage and analyze the data, as well as sample exposure reports and guidance on the actions required to address credible threats.
Alongside advanced tools and expert threat intelligence, it is vital to look for a service that has an assured track record and excellent security measures. Ask your prospective vendor about their level of expertise in dark web monitoring and the types of controls they use.
Discovering potential threats online is only part of the process. Some dark web monitoring services only offer detection services, leaving it to organizations to tackle the online threat themselves. Ask your potential provider whether they offer takedown services to directly mitigate any issues that are still present.
Discover, analyze and address your organization’s global exposure on the dark web and social media with Kroll’s dark web monitoring services. As the world incident response leader, we deliver frontline-informed dark web monitoring for business, including brand monitoring and domain protection, and threat monitoring for social media, chat platforms and repositories. Our services continuously monitor the deep and dark web, as well as file sharing networks, IRC channels and other forums to deliver an extensive view of your organization’s exposure, reducing the risk of costly cyber-attacks and reputational damage.
Drawing on experience in the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI and Fortune 100, Kroll’s analysts manage and minimize your organization’s exposure to risk in an increasingly complex threat landscape. We use cutting-edge dark web monitoring tools that ingest terabytes of data every day, with threat intelligence integrations and AI algorithms to filter and prioritize alerts. This data is then triaged and analyzed by Kroll’s experienced team of threat intelligence analysts, who provide an exposure report on your organization’s risk profile, with guidance on the actions needed to address credible threats.
Kroll’s dark web monitoring services are customizable and scalable to meet the needs of your business. If you already have the internal resources to integrate intelligence into security technologies like SIEM and EDR, your requirements can be supported through custom data feeds. Alternatively, customized investigations can be provided to assess internal risk and support M&A activity or active litigation cases.
Contact Kroll for a consultation on dark web monitoring tailored to your specific business needs and cybersecurity challenges.
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