The dark web is called ‘dark’ for a reason. It’s a murky online space reserved for shady activities like illicit trading, including the trading of personal information and hiring of hackers to cyber-attack businesses and organisations.
You may wonder whether cybercriminals on the dark web are even interested in small- to medium-sized businesses, but recent insights show that small businesses are being targeted these days because they don’t invest as much in cybersecurity as large corporations, meaning they provide an easy payday for criminals. Criminals also think that small businesses are less likely to detect a breach and will be less aware of their stolen information being sold online.
Criminals are looking for ease of access as their main criteria when attacking a business, so size isn’t as important as security investment.
So what can you do about it? In addition to having robust cybersecurity solutions in place, dark web monitoring can help protect your sensitive information.
What is dark web monitoring?
Dark web monitoring is 24/7 scanning of the dark web to check whether any sensitive information has been shared with or leaked to unscrupulous parties. Dark web monitoring helps you know that your business is safe at all times.
Good dark web monitoring can quickly pick up stolen usernames and passwords, counterfeit money, stolen credit card numbers or subscription credentials, malicious software, operational, financial or customer data, and intellectual property or trade secrets.
Having this information in the wrong hands can undermine brand reputation, cause a loss of competitive advantage, make your business vulnerable to future cyber-attacks and give cybercriminals an avenue to commit fraudulent activity under your company’s name. This is why knowing about any breaches as soon as possible gives you the chance to derail further criminal activity with your information.
Knowledge is power
When it comes to cybersecurity in general offence is certainly the best defence. Being proactive and having dark web monitoring in place allows you to respond swiftly if there is a breach and you can stop cybercriminals from using that sensitive information in an attack before they even have a chance.
The sooner you know about an issue, the faster your response can be and this will decrease the window of opportunity for cybercriminals to copy and sell your data. Dark web monitoring also helps you prevent important employees and clients from being exploited by malicious entities and having their data exposed to criminal intent.
Do you have data on the dark web? Find out today! Contact our team to find out more about a free dark web scan.
