By now, you may have heard of the Dark Web. Perhaps it was featured on a news broadcast or it came up during a conversation with your techie friends. The Dark Web refers to the infamous private corners of the internet that are only accessible through special software that mask your IP address. On the Dark Web, you can do just about anything, from joining a book club to hiring an assassin. Maybe you want to play a chess match online? Yes, you can do that! Looking to purchase stolen credit card information? You’re in the right place!
What makes the Dark Web so… dark? After all, there is much more to it than illegal activity, much like the activities you could engage in on the public internet.
The Dark Web gets its fame for a few good reasons: anonymity and privacy. While innocent activity does occur on the Dark Web, its notoriety comes from the crime that occurs there.
Criminal Activity on the Dark Web
Cybercriminals access the Dark Web routinely. In fact, many rely on the Dark Web to obtain the info they require to carry out their crimes. Cybercriminals also come to the Dark Web to sell or exploit the information they have already compromised. Which brings us to the real problem: Cybercriminals are having a field day on the Dark Web, buying and selling stolen data to carry out a plethora of crimes.
For those of us who understand how to protect their identity online, we may feel confident that we’re doing everything properly to prevent our data from ending up in the wrong hands. But how do we know with certainty that we’re safe? There’s only one true way to find out: A Dark Web scan.
What Is a Dark Web Scan?
Simply put, a Dark Web scan searches for breaches and compromised credentials for your online accounts. This type of scan can help identify if your email address has been involved in any data breaches and what information was compromised in that breach.
The value of performing a Dark Web scan is undeniable. Uncovering that you’ve been involved in a breach allows you to take steps to ensure that your compromised data isn’t used against you or on your unauthorized behalf. Although it is impossible to recover your stolen data once it hits the Dark Web, there are actions that you can and should perform following the discovery.
If you are interested in seeing if your accounts have been compromised, contact us so that we can perform a one-time Cybersecurity Risk Assessment for your business. Not only will we perform a Dark Web scan, we will also survey your business environment, compile the data and present you with a report of issues found. Keep in mind that 24-7 Cybersecurity Monitoring services are included in our standard IT Managed Service plans.
Your Data Is on the Dark Web – Now What?
If you discover that your data is available online, what should you do to protect yourself? Change your passwords immediately following news of a data breach for any sites and services that you use. Once a breach is identified, changing your password on that account and any other account you may have reused that password on is critical.
Moving forward, passwords should never be reused across accounts. All passwords should be complex, difficult to guess and reasonably long. You may want to consider a few options:
- Create a passphrase, which many consider best practice. A passphrase is a series of words that may make no sense as a sentence, but will be harder for cybercriminals to crack due to its length. Passphrases are much easier to remember than a series of random letters, numbers and symbols. Here is an example passphrase to help you visualize the idea: Water-Orange-Telephone.
- Remembering several difficult to guess passwords is no easy feat. A password manager is highly recommended for added security and convenience. This will allow you to store all your passwords in one place, requiring you to remember only one strong, difficult password.
- Two-factor authentication is also a great added security feature to confirm your identity. 2FA, also known as MFA or Multi-factor authentication, will require a second form of identification aside from your password to gain access to your accounts. This might come from a code sent as a text message to your phone or email, or in a dedicated authentication app. If you decide to use an authentication app, use one from a trusted service provider, such as Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator.
A One-Time Dark Web Scan Will Not Protect You
Scanning the Dark Web can help you identify current risks and data breaches you have been involved in to date, but what happens next? Maybe you were involved in multiple data breaches. You found what data was compromised and you changed your passwords as a follow-up. Does that mean you won’t be involved in another data breach next week? Or perhaps you were already involved in another data breach that has not yet been brought to light. If you don’t continuously search the Dark Web, you are putting yourself at risk of the unknown. The next time your data is compromised, it may go unnoticed on the Dark Web for days, months, or even years if you aren’t monitoring for it, leaving it up for grabs for cybercriminals to use at their leisure.
Dark Web Monitoring – The Protection You Need
Allegiance Technology Solutions provides 24-7 Cybersecurity Monitoring services for our Managed IT Service clients. Our service will proactively monitor the Dark Web for you and notify you immediately when your data is found to be compromised. There is minimal effort needed to protect your business when you partner with us. We will automatically monitor for your organization’s email domain on the Dark Web. If we find anything floating around out there, you can rest assured that you will be notified, and we will be there to help protect your personal and company data. When it comes to the security of your company data, we want to provide you peace of mind so you can focus on other areas of your business.
Cybercriminals are relentless and show no signs of slowing down. They will continue to wreak havoc on every industry where they can profit. Much like cybercriminals, the Dark Web is not going away either. Remember, after all, it’s a place where you can innocently join a literature club, or you know, steal someone’s entire identity.
