The Pandemic of the Internet: The Dark Web

The Pandemic of the Internet: The Dark Web

It has no boundaries or no equal, yet unsuspecting files are still left unprotected and alone. Without a deep scan, you will never know the breach was accidental or a well-calculated plan.

The Mystery of The Dark Web

What is more mysterious than the dark web? Documentaries and movies have tried to show us. Yet, still, many business executives are unsure of what it is or how it works. Nowadays, with threats more sophisticated and advanced, ALL decision-makers must begin to understand the dark web inside and out. Why? Because you won’t see it happen when a cybercriminal gains entry and removes your confidential data and sends it to the dark web.

Our Latest Video Will Explain:

What is the Dark Web?

The dark web is a small hidden spot that resides on the “deep web.” From this location, standard internet browsers have no access to this area. Having been built on existing overlay networks systems, that is how the Dark Web keeps these websites hidden.

How Does Your Data End Up On The Dark Web?

At some point, you or an employee unknowingly gave it away when tricked by a cybercriminal that targeted you. That is known as social engineering. Here are several examples when the deception got used to manipulating individuals into divulging personal or confidential information that gets used for fraudulent schemes.

Here’s what social engineering strategies look like:

• Phishing Emails: A large number of users get targeted from these types of emails. The sender, posing as reputable sources, attempts to “fish” sensitive information from the recipient.

• Spear Phishing: A higher level of focused phishing emails. Users are studied, targeted, and contacted by a cybercriminal to con the user into providing personal or company information.

• Social Media Research: LinkedIn, Facebook, Indeed, and other venues provide a wealth of information about organizational personnel. That can include their contact information, connections, friends, ongoing business deals, and more.

How Can You Keep Your Information Off The Dark Web?

1. Continually educate team members on a secure way to handle corporate data and the process to reduce data loss, especially phishing email scams. Begin with the initial onboarding training session and then require each employee to attend annual refresher courses and classes. That training keeps employees alert to a cybercriminal trying to access your company network and tricking your staff.
2. Require each employee to create strong passwords and two-factor authorization. We always recommend assigning strong passwords for each employee. That prevents them from using simple passwords that are easy to guess and implement two-factor authorization.
3. Budget for and invest in hacking insurance and conduct penetration testing regularly. The cost of cybercrime, if all metrics are correct, will exceed 6 billion dollars by 2021. Investing in hacking insurance prepares you in the event of a cyber-attack.

Dark Web Scanning

There’s only so much cybersecurity protection you can do by yourself. However, there are now more direct ways of checking whether your data got compromised on the dark web. Many security vendors now offer cyber-surveillance monitoring solutions that can scan the dark web for your credentials.