The Dark Web is an invisible and hidden part of the Web that serves as a breeding ground for global criminal activities. It’s not used just for buying and selling illegal drugs and weapons, but also selling stolen business and client data.

The Dark Web may not pose a direct threat to your business like phishing and ransomware does, so you don’t consider it important to add to your security strategy. But fact is, the Dark Web is a major threat. It’s like a covert operation that threatens to expose your company trade secrets and damage your reputation big time.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI) are at risk.

Thieves steal and sell company databases, credit card information, financial transactions, leaked emails, user logins and credentials, passwords and trade secrets that can financially harm businesses. Profits are made after committing theft through phishing attacks or by using compromised employee login credentials. This what they use the Dark Web for.

Is My Small Business A Target?

The definitive answer is “Yes.”

It’s not just big businesses that are targets – cybercriminals look for businesses like yours because you probably have fewer IT security resources in place than your larger counterparts.

Large corporations spend hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions of dollars on cybersecurity.

But many small business owners aren’t spending enough or paying attention to these threats. Hackers know this, so they’ll put businesses like yours in their bull’s eye.

And they know that you’re less likely to detect a breach, so you’re not likely to detect the sale of stolen information on the Dark Web. This makes your small business a prime target.

So, What Does Dark Web Monitoring Do?

Dark web monitoring is an identity theft prevention product that lets you monitor your confidential business information on the Dark Web and receive notifications if it’s found online.

You’ll be in control of the information you want to be monitored. You’ll receive alerts via email if any of this information is found on the Dark Web. Your service will let you know any next steps you should take if this happens.

How Will It Benefit My Business?

Businesses of any size can benefit from complete security and protection through intelligence. But the right strategies must be put into place to fight all types of threats.

With Dark Web Monitoring, you’ll have 24/7 surveillance to make sure that your company is 100% safe.

Dark Web Monitoring:

• • Reduces the amount of time between the occurrence of a data breach and you find out about it.
  • Shrinks the window of opportunity criminals have to make copies of your data and sell it.
  • Prevents the threat of your company’s confidential data leaving your perimeter without you knowing it’s gone.
  • Keeps your clients, employees, key executives, and high-profile personnel from being exploited on the Dark Web.

Monitoring of the Dark Web will locate instances of sensitive data or signs of an attack related to your business or brand, your key assets, private information, and consumer data.

What Should I Look For In A Dark Web Monitoring Service?

There are many Dark Web Monitoring Services out there. To help, here are some of the key characteristics you should look for in a solution:

• Dark Web Threat Alerts –You’ll benefit from proactive monitoring for your stolen or compromised data. It provides you with real-time alerts when data is found on the Dark Web.
• Compromised Data Tracking & Reporting – This service tracks and triages incidents and manages risks with logging and reporting.
• Compromised Data Trending & Benchmarking – You’ll gain insights into your current threat posture and be able to benchmark it against your peers and the industry you serve.
• Supply Chain Threat Monitoring – Now you can monitor your third-party vendors to determine if they are a potential risk to your organization. This is important for businesses in healthcare, law, and others that must comply with industry and government regulations.
• Client Management – You can better secure your clients by providing them the actionable intelligence to help protect against potential data breaches.

Data breaches are likely to continue. In the meantime, you should take action to prevent your business from financial or reputational damage. Signing up for a Dark Web Monitoring Service is one way you can do this.

Suggested Reading:

The ACSC Essential Eight Guide

Xari Group Dark Web Monitoring: We go into the Dark Web to keep you out of it

The Australian Notifiable Data Breach Scheme Guide