What is dark web monitoring?

Dark web monitoring tools fill a gap in the security landscape. Intrusion detection systems and malware scanning can detect threats when they attack network assets. Dark web monitoring discovers identity theft attacks, allowing security teams to take mitigation actions.

Why is dark web monitoring important?

Dark web monitoring matters because it protects against data breaches and identity theft risks. Cyber-attackers constantly seek user credentials and personal information. They use this data to mount credential stuffing or phishing attacks, leading to data breaches and network infiltration.

We do not know for sure how much confidential data is available on the dark web. However, estimates indicate that over 24 billion records circulate in concealed marketplaces. Even cybersecurity vendors are not immune from credential leaks, and every business should take identity theft risks seriously.

Dark web monitoring mitigates these risks by discovering leaked user credentials on the dark web. Users can immediately identify compromised accounts and require password changes or additional security controls.

Monitoring the dark web plays another security role as a threat intelligence solution.

Security teams can track conversations between dark web users and gather threat intelligence. Companies can detect chatter about upcoming attacks, both to their systems and those of supply chain partners. Security teams can use this advanced warning to inform their responses.

How does dark web monitoring work?

The dark web is an encrypted layer of the World Wide Web that users can only reach via specialist TOR browsers. It hosts thriving marketplaces for illicit items and stolen data that customers generally purchase via cryptocurrencies.

Dark web monitoring is similar to Google or other search engines but operates solely on the dark web. Monitoring tools work around encryption and routing defenses, accessing real-time intelligence about data releases, sales, and conversations.

Monitoring tools track dark web threats via two techniques:

• TOR routing: Trackers enter dark websites via TOR guard relays, using modified clients to access routing services—just like a standard user. Advanced tracking also copies the behavior of human dark web users, making it harder to detect automated activity.
• I2P access: I2P is an encrypted dark net that operates separately from the TOR-based dark web. Monitoring tools employ out-proxies to access I2P servers and detect active sites via peer-to-peer discovery.

Users can configure monitoring tools to search for specific data types or datasets. For example, you may want to search for email addresses owned by your company. However, search engines can also cast a wider net, leveraging threat intelligence data about economic sectors or data types.

Automated alerts inform users about matches, allowing prompt action. Some tools categorize threats by risk levels. For instance, searches may uncover older data carrying a lower risk level (credentials are probably outdated) while prioritizing more recent leaks of sensitive information.

Critically, dark web monitoring is continuous. Tools operate in real-time, investigating every relevant marketplace or forum. There are no gaps in coverage when criminals can sell data batches or plot attacks. Threat protection services never sleep.

Components of dark web monitoring tools

Effective dark web monitoring tools must have several essential components to meet customer needs. Critical elements include:

• Search engines: Data crawlers constantly search for relevant matches across all known dark web sources. Monitoring tools use modified TOR browsers to mimic guard relays that provide dark web access without triggering anti-bot responses.
• Threat intelligence: Monitoring tools focus their searches on information about recent data breaches or attack types. A threat intelligence solution also gathers dark web data to build threat intelligence databases and enhance future security strategies.
• Threat hunting: Search engines draw on threat intelligence to identify leaked data. For example, searches may focus on credentials affected by a specific data breach.
• Automated alerts: Matches result in alerts, allowing security teams to secure affected accounts.
• Analytical dashboards: Centralized dashboards present the results of searches and information about current alerts. Security teams can easily monitor trends in dark web sales or conversations and feed this information into their security posture.
• Integrations: Dark web monitoring tools may feature API integrations to connect with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools.

The main benefits of dark web monitoring

Dark web monitoring has many potential benefits for modern businesses. Advantages include:

• Rapid detection of data exposure: In principle, companies should prevent all data breaches. However, breaches will happen. In that case, dark web monitoring cuts the time that data is exposed. It lets you secure accounts and fix vulnerabilities before secondary attacks occur.
• Proactive threat hunting: Companies cannot wait until credential leaks result in network security breaches. Dark web monitoring continuously looks for compromised sensitive information, discovering threats before they become critical.
• Advanced threat intelligence: Monitoring deep web sources helps companies understand the nature of cyber threats. Security teams can analyze at-risk data, attack motivations, and possible attack techniques. This information is invaluable when hardening your security posture.
• Detecting insider threats: Data from dark web discussion forums can uncover previously undetected insider threats. Searches uncover criminal networks or illicit data sales by current or past employees.
• Reputation protection: Identity thieves on the deep web often seek to imitate trusted brands during phishing attacks. Criminals may use dark web forums to develop attacks or use stolen data to create target profiles. Proactive searches detect this activity early, before damage to a company's reputation.
• Compliance: Industry regulations such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and GDPR require robust data security to protect customers or patients. Continuous dark web monitoring demonstrates companies take data threats seriously and are capable of safeguarding sensitive information.

Dark web monitoring provides benefits for all companies. Data thieves target small, medium, and large enterprises. Anyone's sensitive information can appear on deep web marketplaces.

How to safeguard your business against dark web threats

Criminals steal millions of data records every day, selling much of that information on dark web marketplaces. When you suffer a breach, your data will most likely become part of that shadow economy.

Robust security measures are essential to prevent leaks and detect stolen information on the dark web. The best practices below should help you achieve this:

Strengthen your data security posture

The starting point is preventing data exposure and breaches. Implement multi-factor authentication and role-based access controls to limit access to sensitive information. Encrypt data on your servers, and safeguard remote connections with business VPNs.

Companies should also promote an enterprise-wide security culture by training staff to handle data securely. Focus on phishing techniques and identifying suspicious emails or SMS messages. Reinforce the importance of avoiding attachments from unknown senders and how to identify fake websites.

Implement vulnerability analysis and patch management

Threat information from dark web monitoring identifies past attacks and emerging vulnerabilities. However, this intelligence is worthless if you do not understand the data you store or apps on the network.

Inventory internet-facing apps and use automated tools to deliver timely application updates. This helps avoid exploit attacks discussed on dark web forums. Log the nature and location of critical data, and revisit user privileges. Only users with legitimate business needs should have access to sensitive data.

Create pathways to turn dark web alerts into mitigation actions

Proactive dark web monitoring is essential, but threat hunting and detection must lead to rapid responses.

Security policies should document how to prioritize alerts from monitoring tools and trigger incident response plans. Security teams need a roadmap to identify at-risk accounts and resources, protect other network assets, and fix existing security weaknesses.

Run incident response workshops simulating large-scale dark web breaches. Clarify breach notification guidelines to streamline communication and ensure all stakeholders are part of the response.

Leverage global intelligence feeds to supplement monitoring

Dark web searches depend on intelligence to target relevant data sources. Subscribe to intelligence feeds related to your business sector. Use this information to target dark web monitoring efforts.

If necessary, find a cybersecurity partner with dark web experience. Their threat protection services will integrate the latest threat data into your cybersecurity workflows.

Remember supply chain risks

When scanning the dark web for leaked data or upcoming threats, remember: Cyber-attacks target third-party vendors, too. Supply chain risks can compromise your cloud storage containers and applications. Vendors should have the same priority as internal security assessments.

Integrate dark web searches into supply chain management. For example, criminals may regularly mention a vendor as an easy target. Data like this should trigger vendor audits or requests for security assurance from the supplier's security team.

Use dark web security incidents as learning events

Dark web monitoring detections should lead to security improvements. Every leaked credential represents a security failure. Assess what went wrong and implement mitigation actions to prevent future breaches. Return to incidents during annual security audits. Verify that threat responses lead to long-term security benefits.

In summary: Add dark web monitoring to your security measures

Cybersecurity relies on intelligence and visibility. You cannot secure accounts or applications without knowledge of data leaks or vulnerabilities. To obtain the threat visibility required, you need to track activity on the dark web.

Dark web monitoring proactively searches deep web marketplaces and forums for data related to your company. Monitoring tools detect previously unknown data breaches and warn about future attacks. In a world of concealed attackers and ever-growing data security risks, they are indispensable allies.