Dark web monitoring: what threat analysts need to know for strengthening cybersecurity

Mention of the dark web elicits mystery and intrigue. While its origins are not always as salacious as portrayed, darknet markets do draw the attraction of criminal enterprises and sophisticated phishing operations. With all this illicit activity, the dark web can no longer just be left to the unlawful. Corporate security, CTI and fraud analysts need to be able to navigate and monitor dark web activities to protect their customers and networks.

Cyberattacks are continually increasing, and the majority of attacks target customers' personally identifiable information (PII), patient records and financial information. This data is advertised on the darknet for sale by cybercriminals. Actually, this business procures billions of dollars each year for cyber attackers, which makes it very lucrative for them.

What is the dark web and how does it affect my security?

The dark web is the portion of the internet that conventional search engines cannot index. The dark web is not a single network or entity; for instance, darknet networks include all frameworks that require special software or browser configuration to access. Famous darknets include TOR, I2P and Freenet.

➡️ If you want to learn more about understanding the dark web, find our series on dark web basics here.

The scale of the dark web criminal economy

Recent investigations reveal stolen credit card information sells for $5-$110 per card, depending on the credit limit and included verification data such as CVV, name and address. Complete identity packages, which contain Social Security numbers, medical records and financial documents, command prices between a few hundred and thousands of dollars per victim. Healthcare records prove particularly valuable, selling for 10 times more than credit card data due to their comprehensive personal information.

Ransomware-as-a-Service operations flourish on darknet platforms, where criminal groups rent sophisticated attack tools to less technical hackers. These marketplaces generate a massive amount of money for their operators, which helps them to develop more evasive ransomware to increase their profits.

Darknet networks such as The Onion Router (TOR)  are famous for enabling different types of criminal activities, which range from selling stolen credentials and credit card information to selling drugs and firearms. 
Business organizations face significant risks from darknet marketplaces as criminals exploit their vulnerabilities, steal their data and put it on the darknet for sale.  Analysts need the ability to keep up with this growing business of unlawful activity.

From breach to forum: PII on the darknet

Corporate data breaches typically appear on darknet markets within 24-48 hours of the initial compromise. Attackers package stolen databases containing employee access credentials, customer PII, and proprietary business data for sale. Manufacturing companies find their industrial control system credentials sold alongside intellectual property, while financial institutions discover customer account details bundled with internal system access credentials.

Darknet monitoring is critical for businesses to identify their compromised data before it gets exploited by threat actors. But analysts need safe systems in place to protect them as they explore the underside of the internet.

What makes dark web monitoring important?

As we already said, darknets are used primarily by threat actors to advertise stolen information from companies. This makes continual scanning and monitoring of darknet marketplaces and encrypted chatrooms a necessity to prevent and counter different types of attacks. Here are some reasons why dark web monitoring is very important:

Time-critical detection

Whenever a company gets hacked, stolen login details appear on dark web markets pretty quickly — often within just a few hours. Interestingly, banks sometimes find out their customers' info has been compromised and is for sale even before their own internal systems trigger alerts. This kind of early alert system lets security teams jump into action fast — they can change passwords, revoke access tokens, audit systems and even give customers a notification before cybercriminals can exploit the stolen data for malicious purposes. 

Protecting sensitive data

If threat actors successfully infiltrate a particular organization's IT systems and steal its data, this may result in catastrophic consequences for its reputation. By monitoring the dark web, organizations can immediately discover stolen data and take protective measures to stop the damage before their customers know about it.

Threat intelligence gathering

Dark web monitoring reveals threat actors planning activities, including discussions about targeting specific industries or companies. Security teams gain insights into emerging attack methods, newly discovered security vulnerabilities and pricing trends that indicate which data types criminals value most highly. 

For example, consider a scenario where a group posts on a dark web forum about an upcoming SWIFT banking attack targeting a specific bank. They may discuss the following issues:

• Phishing employees for access
• Using specific malware for initial access
• Selling stolen banking credentials on a particular marketplace on the darknet

How does dark web monitoring help?

• The threat intel team will discover the bank name from the discussion forum posts.
• If the attacker shares a sample test phishing email, they will have it.
• Red teams can test systems by replicating the same attack methods

Their response would be as follows:

• Block phishing domain names in the email filter
• Update EDR rules to detect the malware used by hackers
• Alert the fraud detection department to increase monitoring over SWIFT transactions

These proactive methods could prevent an attack before it happened.

Regulatory compliance

Data protection regulation is advancing rapidly, with many regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA and PCI DSS requiring companies to keep their customer data private and secure. Any data breach can result in huge penalties in addition to reputation damage. Dark web monitoring allows businesses to discover leaked data immediately and report their findings to regulatory bodies along with the steps taken to avoid fines and reduce the damage of data leaks to the maximum.

For instance, GDPR requires organizations to notify authorities of a data breach within 72 hours of discovering it. Failure to do so can lead to fines of up to 4% of the company's global annual revenue. Dark web monitoring tools automatically generate compliance reports whenever they detect regulated data on illegal marketplaces, providing details like the time of discovery, the type of data involved and the immediate steps taken to address the issue.

Allow proactive threat detection

Dark web monitoring enables organizations to detect early indicators of cyber threats before they escalate into full-blown breaches. By continuously scanning underground forums, marketplaces and encrypted chat groups, security teams can:

• Identify stolen credentials, leaked data or planned attacks targeting their organization.
• Respond before attackers exploit the information, which greatly minimizes damage.
• Strengthen defenses by updating security controls based on real-time intelligence.

For example, consider a scenario when a dark web marketplace lists a batch of corporate login credentials (e.g., VPN, email, SaaS apps). The seller provides samples of data to confirm they belong to that particular company.

After scanning the darknet and finding the information, the proactive SOC response would be:

• Reset compromised passwords immediately
• Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) if not already enabled
• Monitor login attempts for suspicious activity
• Alert affected employees to prevent credential reuse

Maintain customer trust

Successful data breaches can significantly impact a business's reputation. By monitoring the dark web, organizations can perform immediate actions once a breach has been identified. For example, consider a scenario when hackers post customers' names, emails and parts of their credit card numbers on a darknet marketplace. After discovering this data, the impacted company can take the following protective measures to maintain customer trust:

• Verify the leaked data (e.g., check sample records against business databases).
• Identify the breach source (e.g., vulnerable API, insider threat, malware attack).
• Notify affected customers with transparency and remediation steps (e.g., free credit monitoring).

Promptly implementing these measures will be appreciated by customers, as it demonstrates proactive remediation and transparent communication, both of which help maintain and strengthen the company's reputation.

Businesses that identify security breaches through dark web monitoring and respond openly commonly find that they build stronger relationships with their customers afterward. Customers appreciate organizations that invest in diligent security monitoring and communicate honestly about security challenges, setting themselves apart from competitors who tend to handle breaches only through reactive damage control.

Big (safety) risks for big (safety) rewards

If dark web monitoring is so essential to company security, why aren’t more teams already doing it? Well, the answer may be obvious to you. Analysts could severely risk their company network and personal security by wading into darknet forums unprotected.

Before accessing the dark web, both employees and employers should have a plan of action, an access policy, a secure way to acces not linked to their personal or company networks and a fullproof audit system in place.

Dark web monitoring has become an essential part of an organization security strategy, no longer just an optional add-on. Businesses that stay on top of continuous darknet monitoring gain real advantages — faster threat detection, better compliance with regulations, and higher trust from customers. Spotting compromised data within hours instead of months can make a huge difference in how effectively your team responds to incidents and how financially resilient your organization is.

To learn more about how to safely and efficienty access the dark web, request a demo today.