The phrase “dark web” is a hidden Internet underground where cybercriminals and unscrupulous individuals engage in suspicious and oftentimes illegal activities.
A significant portion of those who frequent the dark web are hackers who readily seek to exploit weaknesses in a business’s network in order to acquire sensitive data.
Whether seeking customer information to utilize for identity theft or attempting to delete and destroy critical data on a brand’s network, the denizens of the dark web pose a huge threat to businesses of all sizes, in all industries.
It isn’t just the major corporations that need to fear potential cyberattacks—thousands of small businesses are targeted on a daily basis, and successful data breaches compromise the sensitive data and user accounts of millions each year. Much of the information acquired is sold on the dark web, and a business might not even know there has been a data breach until it’s too late.
In order to remain sufficiently protected, it’s critical that a business invest in professional cybersecurity services. A professional IT company that specializes in managed IT services and cybersecurity can perform a service called dark web scanning. This particular service offers specialized benefits to a business and greatly increases data security.
What is Dark Web Scanning?
The dark web is a part of the Internet that never appears in search engines and can only be accessed using specially configured software. It allows users to remain anonymous, which is why it is the perfect haven for cybercriminals.
When a dark web scan is performed as part of your cybersecurity services, your data security provider can detect threats that have attempted to infiltrate your network. The dark web scan is an intuitive scanning protocol that utilizes AI to perform deep scans of chat rooms, forums, blogs and other private sites that proliferate on the dark web, seeking and finding any information that may have been stolen from your organization.
The scan operates on a 24/7 basis, ensuring that any suspicious activity is caught and can be resolved quickly. Your IT provider can ascertain if any employee credentials have been compromised, allowing cyber criminals access to sensitive data. Quite often, the source of the data breach can be quickly discovered and handled.
How Can My Organization Benefit from Dark Web Scanning?
While you may not be able to successfully remove sensitive data that has already been distributed on the dark web, you can definitely take measures to keep the data contained and prevent further security breaches, reducing the risks of identity theft and other fraudulent activity.
A Data Breach Can Be Extremely Costly
Federal authorities do not look lightly upon data breaches, and businesses of all sizes are instructed to take proper precautions to prevent them. Allowing a data breach to happen can result in heavy fines, as well as possible lawsuits, not to mention a loss of customer loyalty and a damaged brand image.
Protection for Your Employees and Customers
A data breach can impact several people or potentially thousands, including employees, their families and your clients and customers.
Dark web scanning can help keep your data well protected, or at the very least alert you to a data breach, so that the situation can be monitored and contained. Without dark web scanning and other cybersecurity protocols, you risk the livelihoods of anyone whose data is contained within your network.
Dark Web Scanning Can Deter Hackers
Hackers and cybercriminals attack thousands of businesses on a daily basis. But they typically seek out those with obvious weaknesses in their network security. Dark web scanning can act as a deterrent to hackers.
The Bottom Line
The dark web can pose a great threat to unsuspecting businesses, but you’ll be much better prepared to meet those threats and defend your business accordingly if you invest in security services such as dark web scanning.
To learn more about AxiaTP’s dark web scanning services, contact us today.