What Business Data Exists On The Dark Web And How Is It Being Used?

When you think of data breaches and information being sold on the Dark Web, you probably think it’s stolen from large companies that keep data on millions of consumers. But there’s more you should know – What about confidential info from small Businesses like yours? Could your Business data be on the Dark Web? We answer these questions below.

Did you know that your small business is a prime target for identity thieves?

Small businesses are the fastest-growing hacking sector today. This is because criminals can usually break into your business technology within a matter of minutes. The payoff may be smaller, but it doesn’t require much effort on their part.

For years, the average small business in the U.S. wasn’t a likely target for a sophisticated cyberattack. Fewer financial resources and a relatively unknown brand worked in your favor to get them looking elsewhere.

This is no longer the case.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, information that’s posted for sale on the Dark Web is 20 times more likely to come from small businesses like medical organizations, law offices, nonprofits, and retailers – not from large companies.

And the FTC says the majority of data breaches investigated by the U.S. Secret Service are from small businesses.

What Kind Of Business Data Is On The Dark Web?

• Sensitive Corporate Information
• Business Secrets
• Company-Related Documents
• Bank Accounts
• Health Records
• Personally Identifiable Information about employees, patients, or customers
• Driver’s License Numbers
• Social Security Numbers
• Birth Certificates
• Usernames
• Emails

Whether you know it or not, your business in the San Francisco Bay Area is at risk.

So, when hackers get your data, what do they do with it?

They post it on the Dark Web for sale.

A thief can set up a dark web data mining operation and become productive in about a day.

Thieves sell your information to other criminals for profit.

These criminals purchase it to commit fraudulent activities.

They sell passwords, driver’s license numbers, medical records, business proprietary information, and more. They especially like to sell personal medical information and credit card information.

They can also obtain information from one particular person (like a CEO or CFO) and sell a full set of background information on them. This includes their Social Security information, date of birth, and residential address. They can do this for literally anyone in the country.

Could your confidential data already be on the Dark Web for sale without you knowing it?

The only way you can be sure it’s not is with Dark Web Monitoring. 

But you can’t do this properly yourself.

Dark Web Monitoring is a cutting-edge tool. It combines human and sophisticated intelligence with search capabilities to identify, analyze, and proactively monitor for your organization’s compromised or stolen employee and customer data on the Dark Web.

It identifies stolen credentials that can be used to exploit your business, employees, and customers. And it provides automatic security, fraud alerts, and incident response.

There Are Many Facets To Dark Web Monitoring:

Dark Web Threat Alerts –This is proactive monitoring for your stolen or compromised data. It provides you with real-time alerts when data is found on the Dark Web.

Compromised Data Tracking & Reporting – It tracks and triages incidents and manages risks with logging and reporting.

Compromised Data Trending & Benchmarking – This lets you gain insights into your current threat posture and benchmarks it against your peers and the industry you serve.

Supply Chain Threat Monitoring – Now you can monitor your third-party vendors to determine if they are a potential risk to your organization. This is important for businesses in healthcare, law, and others that must comply with industry and government regulations.

Customer Management – You can better secure your customers by providing them the actionable intelligence to help protect against potential data breaches.

The right Dark Web Monitoring will have a $1,000,000 identity theft restoration policy, and proactively protect your employees and customers while enhancing their overall cybersecurity awareness.

Why Does Your Business Need Dark Web Monitoring?

The main benefit to Dark Web Monitoring services is that it can give you early warning signs that you’ve been compromised well before you may have found any tell-tale signs yourself.

All states in the U.S. have enacted legislation requiring both private and government entities to notify individuals of security breaches involving personally identifiable information.

For this reason, it behooves you to find out if your data is lurking on the Dark Web and learn about it as soon as possible.

Data Privacy Is A Priority For Businesses In California

California has passed a new digital privacy law that businesses and organizations must comply with.

It’s the nation’s toughest online privacy law.

California’s new law takes effect in January 2020 and will change how businesses collect and sell people’s personally identifiable information (PII).

Consumers will now have the right to:

• Know all the data you collect and be able to transfer it twice a year for free.
• Opt out of having their PII sold.
• Have the ability to delete their data and tell you that you can’t sell it.
• Be told why you’re collecting their data.
• Be informed of what categories of data will be collected before you collect it and be informed of any changes to this.
• Be told the categories of third parties you’re sharing their data with and the categories of third parties who acquired their data.
• Make you obtain their permission before you can sell any information about children under the age of 16.

Dark Web Activity Is A Security Threat To Businesses That Aren’t Protected

Dark Web Monitoring is essential for businesses in California. It allows you to glean valuable security insights and protect your company’s reputation. It’s a smart move that can help you obtain tangible threat intelligence and strengthen your cybersecurity defenses.