Protecting Yourself from the Dark Web

If you aren’t familiar with the dark web and how it can prove dangerous to your business, there is much you need to know. While it may come as something of a surprise, nearly every business is at risk of being exposed to the dark web.

The simple fact is that any business concerned with cybersecurity and the safety of their sensitive data needs to know how to protect itself from the dark web. As a business owner, it is up to you to know the threats posed by the dark web, how to protect yourself, and how to encourage safety measures amongst your staff. Luckily, TeknaByte is here to provide the answers.

What is the Dark Web?

Before we discuss the safety measures you can take to protect yourself from the dark web, it is important you know what the dark web is. Essentially, the dark web is the leading online black market. This black market is composed of thousands upon thousands of websites that aren’t indexed by search engines such as Google. Each of these websites requires the download of anonymization tools that hide the identity of the user, making them difficult, if not impossible, to track.

Cybercriminals are rampant in this hidden corner of the Internet due to the fact that they are free from data collection. This means they are essentially free to conduct illegal business practices and illegally sell consumer data. Worst of all, anyone with the desire to steal sensitive data can learn how to gain access to the dark web.

How the Dark Web Poses a Threat to Your Business

So what’s at stake for your business if you lack the proper security measures to protect your business from the dark web? As the world’s largest black market, the dark web is like a vacation destination for cybercriminals who would steal your business’s data. Forms of ransomware and malware are available to cybercriminals on the dark web and can be used to infect your business’s network.

There are also individuals making their living through malicious means known as “hacking as a service”, or HaaS, where they are contracted to hack a business system. This practice involves the purchase of malicious code on the dark web that can then be used to hack your business accounts, gain access to sensitive information, and even shut down your network’s functions. This can result in financial loss, the loss of personal information, and significant business downtime.

How to Protect Your Business from the Dark Web

Now that you understand the dangers of the dark web and how your business is at risk, what can be done to protect yourself? TeknaByte has several methods that you can use to secure your network and prevent hacking attempts by cybercriminals. Let’s take a closer look at what you can do to safeguard your system.

Create Backups

If your business does fall prey to a cybercriminal using ransomware and encryption to hack your network and access your data, the only way you can get around these attempts is with backups. For this reason, it is important that you create backups for your business’s most central systems consistently. Once you have a regular backup system in place that saves and stores your data in another location, perform regular tests to ensure backups are being made periodically.

Form a Disaster Recovery Plan

With cyberattacks targeting businesses both large and small with increasing frequency in the last several years, it is vital that you operate in a mindset of not “if” but “when” your business could be targeted. A disaster recovery plan is a proactive measure you can take to protect yourself from the dark web.

Ask yourself the following questions when forming a disaster recovery plan that is right for your business:
• How long can you afford to be down? How much money are you losing per hour by being down?
• Do you want your data protected, or do you want your entire infrastructure protected?
• How will your customers be affected?
• Do you have a plan in place for a natural disaster (fire, flood, etc)?

Educate Your Staff

As one of the most effective ways to prevent your business from falling prey to the dark web, educating your staff on its dangers and training them to avoid scams is imperative. Gather your staff and instruct them on the importance of avoiding email phishing scams and other suspicious links online that could introduce a hacker to your system.

Utilize Two Factor Authentication

Two factor authentication acts as a barrier between cybercriminals on the dark web and your business’s sensitive data. As you may be familiar, two factor authentication utilizes two components to verify the identity of you and your employees each time they access the network. This goes a long way in making your network more challenging to hack and in protecting your data.

Invest in Information Technology Security Management

Finally, one of the best ways to protect yourself from the dark web is by investing in information technology management. An IT management team like TeknaByte has the necessary experience and education on the best security measures to act as another line of protection for your business when it comes to the dark web.

With so many measures to take to protect not only your data but your entire infrastructure from hackers and cybercriminals, investing in managed IT services can go a long way in combating headaches associated with IT security and leaving you able to devote your attention to your business. Contact TeknaByte today to see how we can help you protect yourself from the dark web!