The Dark Web: It’s effects and how to protect yourself

Did you know that there are different aspects of the internet you interact with daily? Search engines like Google Search, Microsoft Bing and DuckDuckGo can find and reference only 10% of the total internet traffic. You most likely use the “safe” and visible part of the internet for web browsing, email and social media. Now, how about other parts of the internet you hardly interact with? It may hold valuable information about you and have it on sale at an affordable price. How can you protect yourself from the unknown elements of the internet? First, let’s understand the dark web.

What is the dark web?

Anyone who uses the internet has come across the surface web. In data classification, this is public data. It is the part of the internet that holds public information made available from publicly accessible webpages of businesses, government agencies, social media accounts, news agencies, educational institutions, etc. This information is safe for public consumption.

After the surface web comes the deep web. It holds the private data of individuals and organizations stored in emails, databases, social media accounts, banking applications, intranet and extranet sites. You usually need to sign-in to an online account to gain access to this information

Next, we have the hidden part of the deep web known as the dark web,  an encrypted network accessed with a special browser or application. In the early 2000s, Ian Clarke created the Freenet program to help people anonymously share files and communicate online in a way that made it difficult for copywriters to trace. The success of the Freenet program led to the creation of the Tor Project, a specialized browser that allows people to anonymously browse the encrypted network of websites known as the dark web.

Originally, communications on the dark web gathered intelligence. Journalists, activists and residents of certain countries who wished to express themselves without government interference or oppression embraced it later. In effect, they could hide their identities and communications on the dark web and freely express themselves online. Now, it has become a haven for criminal and illegal activity.

What are the effects of the dark web?

Because of its anonymous nature, cyber criminals and other malicious actors conceal their identities to engage in illicit activities such as drug trafficking, malware distribution, espionage and hiring cyber mercenaries. In addition, there is the sale of weapons, personally identifiable information and counterfeit currency.

The dark web holds millions of stolen data readily available for sale at an affordable price. For instance, payment cards (credit and Debit) with pins cost between $25 and $35. Additionally, the price of usernames and passwords of hacked social media accounts ranges from $1 to $60, while that of email accounts cost about $80. Again, the dark web facilitates skill and resource sharing of its user base which ultimately makes it easy for cyber criminals to launch attacks on targets.

Consequently, law enforcement agencies have successfully shut down or disrupted various criminal groups operating on the dark web. Similarly, cybersecurity professionals continue to conduct threat analysis and gather cyber intelligence. Despite these efforts, an estimated 57% of all transactions is still criminal in nature.

How to protect yourself

Having this in mind, it is important to stay vigilant when engaged in online activities. Specifically, take basic cyber hygiene seriously. It safeguards against social engineering attacks which leads to compromise of personal information. Frequently attend webinars and training awareness programs which teaches countermeasures used against cyber criminals.

Next, deploy robust access control measures. Use strong passwords and reset them frequently. Further, avoid using the same password across multiple accounts, writing down passwords or sharing them. Ultimately, implement phishing resistant, password less or biometric authentication. These offer the best assurance against compromise.

Finally, keep, personally identifiable information (PII) items including drivers’ licenses, payment cards, passports, health insurance cards and birth certificates secure. Likewise, use aliases on social media accounts and sign out of browser sessions after using them. Equally, employ the use of firewalls and anti-malware software to keep computing devices safe.

Staying safe

The internet consists of the surface web which holds public data, the deep web which holds private data and the dark web which is anonymous in nature. Majority of the anonymous activity constitute the trade of stolen information and other forms of cybercrime.

While we applaud the efforts of law enforcement agencies to keep the dark web safe, business and individuals must be intentional about securing data and devices. The more effort we put into cybersecurity, the less chance of falling victim to cyber-attacks.