When the average user connects to the internet, they can access virtually limitless information and a wide variety of websites. However, all a simple search will show is the surface web. This is the part of the internet that has been indexed by search engines and is freely accessible to anyone. Less accessible is the deep web, which will not appear on any searches. It includes things like private portals and items behind a login. A small part of the deep web is called the dark web. The dark web isn’t just not searchable—it can’t even be reached without specialized software.
For most people, there is no need to go to that kind of trouble, given the useful parts of the internet are generally easy to access. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to know about the dark web and what takes place there. Transactions on this secret part of the internet may have real-life implications that will affect you.
What Is the Purpose of the Dark Web?
The dark web exists for anything secret, especially illegal activities. For the most part, this means unsavory transactions such as the sale of drugs, the distribution of illegal pornography, or the organizing of scams and fraud. However, it may also include communication by political dissidents, document uploads by whistleblowers, and secret but not illegal information.
The dark web consists of both large and small networks, all accessible only with specialized browsers. These browsers are encrypted to preserve the user’s anonymity. This means that a user engaging in illegal activity can easily over their tracks. That same anonymity makes it possible for law enforcement to keep track of activities that happen there.
But not everything there is illegal. Whistleblowers often post material on the dark web in order to publicize important information without repercussions. Some sites simply share information that wouldn’t be out of place on the surface web.
Criminal Activity on the Dark Web
The dark web can be a risky place to do business. Since everyone is anonymous, neither buyers nor sellers have a reputation to uphold. Someone attempting to buy drugs with bitcoin may find they spend the bitcoin but no drugs arrive. There is also the trouble of shipping, since most countries have restrictions on what can be shipped and mail can be inspected at national borders.
But one type of illegal transaction is very easy to carry out there: the sale of private information. On the dark web, scammers can buy hacked accounts, compromised passwords, cloned credit cards, and more. Very often, when an account is compromised, the owner won’t find out right away. The original hacker has no real plans for the login. Instead, they sell it to a third party who will use it for their own purposes.
Hackers can also sell their hacking tools to others. Ransomware as a service (RaaS) is a new model of hacking where experts sell the software necessary to execute a ransomware attack. This makes it easy for almost anyone to use ransomware, massively increasing the number of attacks that take place.
What You Can Do
In general, your information will not appear on the dark web if it is kept properly secure. The key word, however, is properly. Many large and prestigious companies have experienced breaches which exposed customer data to unscrupulous actors on the dark web. They thought they were keeping sensitive data safe, but in reality there were weaknesses that hackers could exploit. It takes constant vigilance to keep your security ahead of threats.
Although prevention is always the best approach, it’s also good to find out what information of yours might have already been compromised. If it has been, you will likely find it on the dark web. As most people don’t have the tech expertise to search there, a more common option is to hire someone else to monitor your data for you. They can inform you immediately if your logins or personal data appear in common dark web locations—allowing you to change your passwords and tighten your online security.
Has your business been compromised? What data entrusted to your company might be available on the dark web? Mission Compliant can search the dark web for information associated with your company and inform you of any past breaches.
Contact us for a free dark web scan, which is one good way to check the security of your data. We can also show you the weaknesses in your network and workflows which could expose your data to unscrupulous actors. Enhancing your security might not only save you money—it might save your entire business.
