What Is the Dark Web?

You are probably reading this article because you’re looking for information on the dark web. Great, you’re in the right place.

When people think of ‘the internet,’ they instantly think of websites, marketplaces, and message boards. The internet is far much more than this. It is divided into three branches: the surface web, the dark web, and the deep web. What if I told you that what you are typically exposed to, commonly known as the surface web, is just a tip of the iceberg, making up only 4% of the whole internet?

The ‘dark web’ is a term that you’re probably already familiar with. This term is commonly used in circles relating to crime. But what exactly is the dark web?

The dark web refers to the part of the internet that isn’t visible or indexed by conventional search engines (Google Chrome, Yahoo) and requires an anonymous browser to access it. To learn more about the dark web, watch the video below.

What’s on the Dark Web and How Can You Access It?

Just like the surface web, it consists of websites, marketplaces, and message boards. The browser used to access the dark web is known as The Onion Router (TOR). It obscures the user’s IP address using a random path of encrypted servers, which helps encrypt the traffic from your computer. This allows people who don’t want to give away their identity and locations to internet service providers to connect to the dark web without their actions being tracked or their browser history being exposed.

What Is the Dark Web Used For?

While the dark web enables genuine people to have privacy and avoid governmental spying and data collection, the same confidentiality level is available to criminals. The dark web is known to be the hub of criminal activities. These crimes involve the purchase of stolen credit card information, stolen subscription credentials, bank account information, counterfeit money, intellectual property, company financial data, and business operational data.  Software that may be used to carry out cyberattacks such as malware is also available on the dark web.

Of primary interest to corporate leaders is the darknet marketplaces (DNMs). Effortless access to the DNMs has made it easier for anyone to sell sensitive corporate information without exposing themselves directly. DNMs sell their products and services to anonymous who often pay in cryptocurrency for even greater anonymity.

How Can You Limit Your Exposure to the Dark Web?

As a company, you may be tasked with defending yourself against cyberattacks, controlling access to your systems, and achieving your core goals. You also need to start monitoring the dark web and DNMs. This will help you know what company data is available on the dark web and what cybersecurity risks and vulnerabilities you are exposed to.

Here are the critical points for companies about dealing with corporate dark web threats:

• Put a response plan in place to guide your response to sensitive data or IP appearing on the dark web. Put in place measures on how you will deal with clients, legal issues, and stakeholders in the event of a breach.
• Build or hire a proactive cyber threat monitoring and reaction ability to detect intrusions before they get out of control.
• Use robust encryption methods on all sensitive data and always keep the encryption approach up-to-date.
• Monitor the dark web and DNMs in general for corporate-specific threats.
• Monitor employee hardware and network use and investigate dark web access and activity.

As a business leader, you need to think about dark web monitoring for your dental clinic. Your clinic’s data is vital as it drives all decision making. Having this data fall into the wrong hands may lead to catastrophic results.

Are You Worried That Your Dental Clinic’s Data May Be Available on the Dark Web?

NOVA Computer Solutions has years of experience in offering dark web monitoring and cybersecurity solutions to dental clinics throughout Northern Virginia, Metro Washington DC, and Maryland.

Schedule an appointment with us today, and let us find out what sensitive data about your dental clinic is exposed on the dark web.