Why Is Dark Web Monitoring Important?

You’ve probably heard about data breaches and leaks before, or perhaps you know someone who fell victim to one. If so, have you ever wondered what happens to stolen data?

Well, it will typically end up on the dark web, where criminals can post in open forums or websites. This poses a significant risk to you as criminals can now commit identity theft and financial fraud by using the information they stole from you. That is why businesses and other institutions pay good money for dark web monitoring. 

What is Dark Web Monitoring?

Almost everyone can access the internet. But most search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing will only scratch 4% of the overall data available. Considering how vast of an ocean of information the web is, people categorize it into three levels:

Surface Web – It is the part of the web where anyone from anywhere has access without restrictions. It is what people call the World Wide Web. Information is easy to find here since search engines organize and index everything.

Deep Web – Regular search engines cannot index the information on the deep web. So it is not publicly accessible. You’ll need a different kind of browser to access the 96% part of the web.

Dark Web – It is the 1% part of the deep web that no search engine can index. It is also where most of the illegal activity happens on the internet.

Because of the anonymity that the dark web provides. It is the best place for hackers and criminals to share or sell the data they acquired from breaches. Dark web monitoring will try to scan all dark web sites and forums to look for the leaked data so minimal damage happens to victims. Once the dark web monitoring tool finds the data, it will alert users so they can take action to protect their privacy. 

The Benefits of the Dark Web Monitoring 

Now that you know the dangers of cybercriminals and data leaks and breaches, dark web monitoring can help you:

Increase the Chances of Identifying Data Leaks and Breaches and Reduce Its Negative Impact

As was said before, dark web monitoring tools can scan the dark web to find stolen data. If the data exists on the dark web, organizations can do the necessary preparation to mitigate the potential of such significant data.

Dark Web Monitoring Prepare Organizations for Future Threats

As dark web monitoring tools scan the dark web, organizations can identify the stolen data and determine if past breaches occurred. Cyber security teams will then know how criminals got through the vulnerabilities of compromised systems. So they can create a robust action plan to prevent such attacks from happening in the future.

Dark Web Monitoring Help Safeguard Employee and Client Data

Besides the organization’s private data, dark web monitoring can also help find employee and client data on the dark web. This stops criminals from exploiting stolen data that can end up on the dark web.

Help Organization Reduce the Time between the Data Breach And Finding It Out Occurred

The longer stolen data stays unnoticed, the more damage it can do. If organizations don’t have dark web monitoring, it might be too late before they realize they have a data breach or leak. 

That is why organizations need 24/7 dark web monitoring to ensure criminals don’t have the opportunity to do something with the stolen data.

Conclusion

Whenever organizations experience data leaks or breaches, the stolen information will mostly end up on the dark web. And the best way to find it is to use dark web monitoring tools. Don’t worry about the cost because there is affordable dark web monitoring that can fit your budget. So, if you know anyone who’s been a victim of a data breach or leak, sharing this article will help.