What Your Security Team is Missing by Overlooking the Dark Net

As threatening information begins to shift from publicly available websites to the DarkNet, defensive detection becomes an invaluable asset. Security teams must constantly be vigilant and aware of the dangers when it comes to accessing and monitoring this threat landscape.

Oftentimes, the DarkNet is overlooked during security planning due to its enigmatic nature and difficulty to access. However, the DarkNet’s properties of untraceable communication breeds a perfect place for bad actors to circulate highly sensitive information. Without continually monitoring and tracing this platform, security teams are unable to build a comprehensive picture of potential threats.

Our Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder, Thomas Kopecky, and Mark Turnage, CEO of DarkOwl, examine the basics of the DarkNet and how to properly mitigate blind spots and risks when monitoring this network as a part of Ontic’s webinar series.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

What is the DarkNet and what information can be found there?
The DarkNet is a series of private networks with thousands of international servers that was originally created for secure communication purposes. Now, it has become the black-market of the internet, with everything from personal information to malware for sale, or at times, for free. In order to access the DarkNet, users must download a Tor Browser, but without proper precautions, users and data may be targeted with malicious software.

Overlooking the DarkNet creates security blind spots.
Information posted on the DarkNet can never be removed, which means that security teams must constantly monitor for any vulnerabilities that could be exploited. Illicit data may be obtained from hackers, ex-employees, or even insiders- and sometimes, this data may not be circulated until much later on in order to avoid detection. Doing a one-time check is not sufficient enough and can lead to future threats.

DarkNet intelligence can help mitigate risks.
Since there is so much data being circulated, security teams must look at context when identifying serious threats. Intelligence such as usernames, language, and activity gathered from the DarkNet can be correlated with other sources of information for a comprehensive evaluation. In addition, scouring the DarkNet regularly can help security teams develop proactive strategies for protection and updating software to account for data leaks.

Although the DarkNet may seem like an afterthought when developing security measures, it is a major component that should be kept in mind. Without continually monitoring these networks, sensitive information may easily lead to actionable threats with very real consequences.

For more information on this topic, including in-depth analysis on the DarkNet, watch the complete webinar “What Security Teams Miss by Overlooking the Darknet.”