Spend enough time listening to modern urban legends, and you’re bound to hear a common term pop up: “the dark web.” If you believe the rumors, you can buy everything from rocket launchers to professional hitmen on the deepest corners of the net—but how much of those rumors are true?
Humans have spent thousands of years fearing the unknown, so it’s easy to see why this sector of the internet has earned a murky reputation. After all, the average internet user may never venture into it at all, leading many to wonder, “What is the dark web, and should I be worried about it?”
If you own a business, the answer is a definitive yes. Not knowing about the dark web isn’t enough to keep you protected from its reach, so it’s important to take steps to safeguard your data and organization. Here’s what you should know.
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What Is the Dark Web?
First things first: what is the dark web like?
The dark web exists separately from the “surface web,” or the websites most internet users visit. To access it, users need a specialized browser such as Tor, which stands for “The Onion Router.” Designed to keep users anonymous and increase privacy, it allows you to access web addresses with unique endings like .onion and scrambled URLs that are designed to be difficult to find.
As you can imagine, this anonymity allows users to hide their activity and disguise their location—which means that some dark web websites can get into shady business.
What Does That Mean for Your Company?
While the dark web isn’t exclusive to cybercriminals, it’s an easy place for them to hide—and an easy place for them to share sensitive information without repercussions.
If someone has gotten access to your business’s private data through a cyberattack, it’s easy to sell this data on the dark web. In other words, your customer and employee data, credit card information, passwords, and other information can be at risk.
How Can You Protect Your Business From the Dark Web?
At this point, you may be wondering how to protect your business from the dark web if you’ve just barely learned how to access it.
Fortunately, the answer is simple: research cyber security companies to find one that specializes in dark web protection.
With expert help, you’ll be able to strengthen your business’s defenses by following cyber security best practices, which can keep your information from exposure in the first place. You’ll also have a team to monitor the dark web on your behalf. This ensures that you’ll get a notification and expert help as soon as any of your sensitive data ends up where it doesn’t belong.
Invest in Your Online Protection
Now that you’ve stopped wondering “What is the dark web?” it’s time to take action. Just as you should be incorporating strong passwords into your online security, you should also take steps to keep your business safe from the dark web. Make sure to reach out to a local cyber security expert for the expert help you need!
Want to create a well-rounded plan to protect your business, both online and offline? Be sure to check out this website for business tips and insights.
