The Nuts and Bolts of Dark Web Monitoring + How It Stops Insider Threats

---

See Why Dark Web Monitoring is a Powerful Weapon Against Insider Threats

---

Dark web monitoring may seem like it’s just good for one thing. However, that’s not the case. Dark web monitoring is a tool that businesses can utilize to gain intelligence and insight into other problems within an organization quickly by alerting security personnel to credential compromises, a potential early indicator of the presence of a malicious insider. More than 60% of cyberattacks are attributed to insiders. It’s important to understand the nuts and bolts of dark web monitoring to see how it can be a powerful safeguard against cybersecurity dangers like malicious insider threats.  

---

---

What is Dark Web Monitoring Anyway & Why Do I Need It? 

---

Dark web monitoring is the process of searching for, tracking and verifying certain information on the dark web. This can be done using a combination of human analysts and specialized software that analyze data that is harvested in the places on the dark web where information is trafficked.  

Why Should Organizations Be Concerned About Dark Web Exposure? 

An organization’s dark web exposure is an indicator of potential vulnerabilities that cybercriminals will be more than happy to exploit. Data about people and organizations on the dark web is the fuel that powers cyberattacks.  

Where is Data Like Credentials Available on the Dark Web? 

Information like user records, personally identifying information and credentials can be found in many locations on the dark web and other cybercriminal hangouts including: 

• Hidden chat rooms 
• Unindexed sites 
• Private websites 
• P2P (peer-to-peer) networks 
• IRC (internet relay chat) channels 
• Black market sites 
• Botnets 
• Torrents 
• Chat channels in apps like Telegram 
• Message boards/Forums 
• Discord servers 

---

---

What Can Dark Web Monitoring Do for My Organization? 

---

Dark web monitoring is an essential part of any organization’s defensive strategy because it enables IT teams to find out about their users’ compromised credentials quickly. That gives them the edge that they need to act to protect the organization immediately, reducing its chance of a cyberattack. A dark web monitoring solution can keep an eye on credentials in a variety of configurations that can typically be customized to fit your organization’s needs. Common types of credentials that can be monitored include: 

• Employee credentials 
• Privileged user credentials 
• Personal credentials 
• Domains  
• IP addresses 
• Sensitive personal email addresses of executives  
• Privileged users’ email addresses 

---

---

Dark Web Monitoring Can Help Unmask Malicious Insiders 

---

Data is a hot commodity in dark web markets and employees have access to plenty of it. Bad actors especially value credentials because it gives them an easy way to conduct operations against businesses. Credentials are worth their weight in gold and the more privileged a credential is, the more it’s worth. Just one legitimate privileged credential can sell for $120,000. That can be a temptation that’s impossible for an employee to resist. An estimated 70% of malicious insider breaches are financially motivated, chiefly through employees selling credentials or access to systems and data on the dark web.   

Malicious insiders can come from anywhere within an organization and they’re typically very careful to remain elusive. After all, nobody wants to get caught. There are some commonalities in the departments that are most likely to be targets of or impacted by malicious insider activity.   

The Top Departments for Malicious Insiders to Target    

Finance	41%
Customer Success	35%
Research and Development (33%)	33%

Source: Swiss Cybersecurity Forum

---

---

Discovering Insider Threats Fast is Vital 

---

Unfortunately, insider threats are an ongoing and growing problem for businesses. The remote work era has made it even easier for a malicious insider to take advantage of their position and damage their employer. A report in Info Security Magazine detailed the growth of insider threats from remote workers between 2020 and 2021, and the findings are not anything IT professionals want to hear. Insider threats, both malicious and non-malicious are on the rise in the remote work era. The volume of insider threats altogether that resulted from the actions of remote workers grew by just under 45% in 2021.   

A malicious insider is something that companies need to find fast. A report from The Ponemon Institute claims that it takes on average 77 days to detect and contain an insider attack. That’s plenty of time for one employee to do a great deal of damage, especially if that employee has access to sensitive systems or data, like a super malicious insider who knows the capabilities of their employer’s security measures and security team. Sometimes, super malicious insiders even know how to manipulate or bypass automated and software-based security measures to avoid detection. The super malicious insider accounted for 32% of malicious insider incidents investigated in 2021.  The discovery of a compromised employee credential by a dark web monitoring solution could be the biggest red flag an employer encounters to indicate that they’ve got a big problem. 

---

---

Integrating a Quality Dark Web Monitoring Solution is a Snap 

---

Adding dark web monitoring to an organization’s defensive buildout or upgrading a solution that organization is already using is easy these days. Today’s best-in-class dark web monitoring solutions set up quickly and get to work immediately with features like: 

• Automation that powers deployment in minutes  
• SaaS or API options are available  
• No additional hardware or software to install 
• Out-of-the-box integrations with popular PSA platforms, for a fast, frictionless alerting and mitigation process 
• Download the checklist Do You Need Best in Class Dark Web Monitoring? for more tips to determine which dark web monitoring solution is right for you!.

---

---

Innovation Matters to Stay a Step Ahead of the Bad Guys 

---

You can’t rely on the same technology to provide the same protection year after year. Strong, effective security requires solutions that don’t just rest on their laurels but keep moving forward, refining and evolving their technology to meet the current and future needs of the market. Dark Web ID has been an industry leader for years because we never stop innovating to keep businesses out of credential compromise trouble.

Get the clear, actionable insight that you need to make all the right security moves with Dark Web ID, the dark web monitoring platform trusted by organizations worldwide.   

•  24/7/365 human and machine-powered monitoring of business and personal credentials, including domains, IP addresses and email addresses  
• Uncover compromised credentials in Dark Web markets, data dumps and other sources, and get fast alerts to new ones  
• An easy-to-use, automated monitoring platform that deploys in minutes and gets to work immediately, with SaaS or API options available  

Schedule your demo of Dark Web ID today. BOOK IT>> 

---

---

---

---