Night Vision: Navigating the Darknet for Improved Threat Intelligence

Night Vision: Navigating the Darknet for Improved Threat Intelligence

Chief information security officers (CISOs) and other security leaders have heard the term darknet — and typically avoid it with good reason. When used carefully and securely, however, it is an invaluable source of threat intelligence data. But what’s really available under the surface of obvious online resources? How do organizations access this twilight technology trove? And what steps can they take to shine a light on potential security threats?


Here’s a how-to guide for (safely) navigating the darknet.


Blinded by the Light


While attackers may hide in the darknet, also called the dark web, their impacts are most often felt on the surface as cybercriminals attempt to infect corporate networks and compromise critical devices. What’s more, these impacts are getting worse: As noted by the “IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index,” 2018 saw 450 percent growth in cryptojacking attacks while the average number of vulnerabilities per organization skyrocketed to more than 1,400. And, according to Malwarebytes’ “2019 State of Malware,” “tricky” ransomware and corporate “mega-breaches” are on the rise as hackers develop new, more sophisticated techniques. As a result, data breaches now cost more than $3.9 million on average with more than 25,000 records compromised.


For CISOs and CSOs, this evolving threat landscape makes it easy to get blinded by the light, focusing on end results without considering the underlying cause. In fact, darknet databases offer the perfect proving ground for malicious actors to share new ideas, test new threat vectors and select top targets — a ..

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