What is dark web monitoring?

Want to know if your credentials have been leaked? Check the dark web

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The dark web can seem like a mysterious, murky world. But it need not be viewed as completely incomprehensible. Our article, “What is the dark web?” for instance, explains some of the most commonly asked questions surrounding this secretive part of the online world.

One part of this world that should probably be better known in mainstream circles is dark web monitoring. This is incredibly important to counter some of the illegal acts that leverage data circulating on the dark web. If you want to find out more about what exactly dark web monitoring is, keep reading.

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Dark web monitoring explained

Dark web monitoring describes the process of searching the dark web for information - usually stolen credentials or intellectual property that is circulating among cybercriminals on the dark web.

In one sense, dark web monitoring tools are similar to search engines likeBingorYandex. However, while the dark web is notorious for not being indexed by conventional search engines, the information stored on the dark web can be found using dark web monitoring tools.

This is particularly useful when individuals or businesses want to improve their defenses after sensitive information has already fallen into the wrong hands. While thebest identity theft protectiontools will alert you if there’s any suspicious activity online, cybercriminals could still be sitting on a host of credentials without you knowing. Likewise,malware removalsoftware is great once a cyberattack has occurred - but prevention is always better than the cure. That’s where dark web monitoring comes in.

Dark web monitoring is hugely important to businesses as, without it, it’s extremely difficult to find out whether your information has been leaked. Data breaches are frequently in the news but cybercriminals are careful not to show their hand too quickly. Instead, they often make their ill-gotten information available for sale on the dark web, where it is usually exchanged for large amounts of money in the form ofcryptocurrencies.

Features and benefits:

Each dark web monitoring tool is different but they often share several important features that enable them to search this mysterious corner of the internet. These include:

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Dark web monitoring: Why it’s important

The threat landscape is changing all the time. Cyberattackers are becoming more advanced and better adept at covering their tracks. As such, businesses can’t afford to limit their scanning for compromised credentials to the surface internet. The dark web is well-known as a hotbed of criminal activity and it’s important that organizations are scouring this part of the internet for their information. With the right tools, you can carry out surveillance at all times, find threats in real time, and plug security gaps before a data breach turns into something worse.

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Barclay has been writing about technology for a decade, starting out as a freelancer with ITProPortal covering everything from London’s start-up scene to comparisons of the best cloud storage services.  After that, he spent some time as the managing editor of an online outlet focusing on cloud computing, furthering his interest in virtualization, Big Data, and the Internet of Things.

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