What Is the Dark Web?
The Internet can be a great place to search for entertainment or for research purposes. Unfortunately, it can be also very dangerous, no thanks to the World Wide Web’s opposite, the Dark Web.
Basically, the Dark Web is the digital equivalent of the Wild West. Further, it’s a subset of the internet that is intentionally hidden and not indexed. To access it, you’re required to use a specific browser, like Tor. In addition to this, it is unavailable to the casual internet user. It houses a treasure trove of stolen information, offering it for sale and trade on chat groups and online forums.Â
What happens on the Dark Web?
Essentially, people buy, sell, and trade collections of personal information, credit cards, health records, and a wealth of other information with impunity. Furthermore, hackers will also sell various hacking tools on the Dark Web for other cyber criminals to use. Additionally, malware as a service has become the norm, with a few cyber criminals developing tools for other potential criminals to use. Â
One of the biggest challenges is that there is no easy way for law enforcement to police the Dark Web, let alone capture the bad guys. Once your stolen information is for sale on the Dark Web, there’s little anyone can do to stop it. This can lead to serious consequences that could really harm your company for good.
The Affect on the Average Business Owner
Unfortunately, criminals often sell data they have found from hacking businesses. This data includes things like employee personal information, admin passwords, customer information, credit card data, and company trade secrets.Â
How does QuickProtect help?
QuickProtect can help by proactively monitoring the Dark Web for a potential breach of your company’s information. In fact, we look for evidence of account compromises and watch for PII (Personally Identifiable Information) such as home addresses and social insurance/social security numbers. To learn more about cyber threats, contact us at QuickProtect today.Â
