Benefits of dark web monitoring

You know the saying, to catch a criminal, you have to think like one.

The dark web can serve many purposes, but it's undoubtedly known as a platform for malicious actors and criminal activity. So, why would any reputable company want to get near it? Well, keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as they say -- dark web monitoring is key to staying on top of cybersecurity threats.

Here we'll get into the basics of dark web monitoring and its benefits. For a deeper dive into how to implement it in your organization, click the link above or in the description below. And subscribe to Eye on Tech for more videos on all things business tech.

The dark web is the deepest part of the internet that can't be found through typical search engines like Google, and typically requires special tools to access it. It's primarily used to hide illegal content, like drug trafficking, identity theft or child exploitation.

Often, hackers sell sensitive information -- like customer credit card numbers, login credentials or social security numbers -- on the dark web where it can be used for phishing campaigns, ransomware or other exploits. So, monitoring the dark web can help businesses stay afoot of corporate data breaches that might threaten their own operations or reputation.

Dark web monitoring offers a multitude of benefits, including the following:

• Threat detection, the presence of proprietary information or customer data on the dark web means an organization might have been part of a corporate breach.
• Data exfiltration, meaning organizations can help users secure their accounts after a breach.
• Compliance, if a business can act proactively to potential threats, it can avoid penalties associated with violating compliance policies and regulatory requirements.
• Reconnaissance, as dark web monitoring lets companies gather information about the broader cyberthreat landscape and how to defend against attackers.

While there is valuable information on the dark web for organizations to learn from, bad actors are learning and evolving as well. For instance, hackers can take more sensitive communications offline to private platforms, like Telegram or Discord, leaving gaps in what businesses can uncover about cybercrime happenings.

Dark web monitoring services often come as embedded features in larger security products and should be used in conjunction with other traditional security practices, like identity management, security policy updates, patch management and overall security awareness training.

What are some other enterprise benefits of dark web monitoring? Share your thoughts in the comments, and remember to like and subscribe, too.

Sabrina Polin is a managing editor of video content for the Learning Content team. She plans and develops video content for TechTarget's editorial YouTube channel, Eye on Tech. Previously, Sabrina was a reporter for the Products Content team.