Why Atlanta Businesses Need To Wake Up To The Threats On The Dark Web

Atlanta Businesses Need To Wake Up To The Threats On The Dark Web

A recent Statista survey indicates that 39% of people using the dark web did so to protect their privacy. That’s an interesting statistic because the dark web is where criminals go to steal data about you and your company. Find out more about the unchartered internet that may contain crumbs of sensitive data about you or your customers.

How Did the Dark Web Begin?

The dark web began as a way to safeguard U.S. spycraft. However, it eventually emerged as a means to keep your web activity private, thanks to unindexed pages and heavy encryption. However, the anonymity attracted criminals to the dark web as well as regular users merely seeking privacy.

“[The dark web] facilitates a growing underground marketplace that sophisticated criminals use to traffic drugs, stolen identities, child pornography, and other illicit products and services. And with untraceable cryptocurrency as the primary means of payment, close cooperation between law enforcement, financial institutions, and regulators around the world is required to tighten the screws on nefarious activity,” according to the International Monetary Fund.

How Do Hackers Use the Dark Web?

Users access the dark web using a unique browser, Tor, which stands for the onion router. You’ll need a VPN as well as Tor to get into the dark web. Tor bounces you are activity to random locations until it’s untraceable.

Unfortunately, hackers also take advantage of this anonymity to transmit malware via the dark web. They use the unmonitored traffic on the dark web to post malware on public access sites. Surfing on the dark web can expose you to ransomware or malware that puts your identity and your organization at risk.

Can You Protect Your Business from the Dark Web?

Malware access via the dark web can target individuals or businesses with a high rate of success. Cybersecurity training greatly reduces individual vulnerability to the dangers of the dark web.

To protect your company from criminal activity that originates on the dark web, contact Centerpoint IT for a dark web scan. Using certain keywords, we can find out if information about you or your company is available via Tor.

Prevention remains the best defense against cybercriminals. We recommend two-factor authentication to prevent hackers from accessing your system by stealing employee credentials. Through password manager technology, you can automatically create passwords that are difficult to guess.

Use occasional dark web monitoring from reliable IT service providers such as Centerpoint IT to ensure your data remains secure.

Individuals and companies need to take extra precautions as cybercriminals become increasingly savvy about finding ways into bank accounts, social media and other online platforms.

What Services Does Atlanta-Based Centerpoint IT Offer?

Centerpoint IT is a managed IT support company serving clients in Atlanta and the surrounding area. If you need help with cloud technology, business phone systems, or Microsoft Office 365, contact us to set up an evaluation of your current environment. You can trust Atlanta’s top IT services provider to monitor and maintain your systems day and night.