Since the internet was invented over two decades ago, it has continued to permeate every area of life, both personal and at a business level. The world’s reliance on the internet has never been heavier. And it doesn’t seem like this trend will reverse any time soon.
Cyber crime is at an all-time high. As organizations move their operations online out of necessity, they become more vulnerable to digital risk.
Though cybersecurity measures are useful in reducing the risk of cyber attacks, they are not fully effective. Even corporations with large cybersecurity budgets have been attacked successfully. Threat actors seem to always be several steps ahead.
At the same time, the internet has permeated our lives to such an extent that events happening in the real world are mirrored to some extent in the digital world.
Thus, chatter on the dark web can appear before threat actors perpetrate an attack, either as a cyber attack or a physical attack.
The importance of the internet in the overall security of both government and corporate organizations cannot be overstated.
Digital risk protection is a priority for any organization that is serious about maintaining the safety of its human resources, intellectual property, physical assets and even other interests like brand integrity.
Types of Risks That Can Be Mitigated Through Digital Means
Physical Attacks
We use the internet for all sorts of communication, from private conversations to business meetings. Indeed, a growing percentage of people use only internet platforms to communicate.
And when it comes to mass communication, the internet provides a variety of channels.
As such, it is possible for threat actors to leave some information about planned attacks on the internet. This is most likely on dark web forums, where threat actors are used to operating outside the reach of the law.
With an advanced threat intelligence platform, information on all levels of the web, including the dark web, could be monitored to give real-time alerts about potential attacks.
Cyber Attacks
The dark web is one of the most useful tools to threat actors.
When attackers manage to get hold of sensitive information about an organization or its employees, there’s a huge likelihood that they’ll attempt to profit from the information through the dark web.
Attackers typically sell leaked credentials on the dark web. Threat actors can buy such information and use it to orchestrate attacks on organizations.
With the help of an automated threat intelligence platform, security analysts can define search parameters and get real-time alerts when any information related to an organization is posted online.
Damage to an Organization’s Brand
A threat intelligence solution enables an organization to maintain real-time situational awareness about all affairs that are related to them.
If the organization is holding a conference, the threat intelligence solution could be used to keep tabs on all news and comments regarding the conference. The same goes for launching a new product or participating in a merger.
Situational awareness surrounding these events places an organization in the position to proactively contain situations that could potentially get out of hand.
For example, if a data leak has occurred and the data is being sold on the web, an organization can move quickly to buy that data back and ensure no further damage can be done. A data leak has the potential to derail any efforts at a merger. Such a timely intervention could save the merger and the company.
How Does Modern Digital Risk Protection Work?
In the modern world, implementing cyber defenses and waiting for threat actors to attack isn’t very effective. It might stop some attacks, but it will do little to deter determined and highly capable threat actors.
When dealing with threat actors who have extended capabilities, more has to be done.
These threat actors are likely to leverage the dark web to get help and resources. They can discuss vulnerabilities and possible attack vectors on forums, buy malware and leaked data from marketplaces, and so on.
To have any chance against such threat actors, organizations have to effectively monitor the dark web and other levels of the internet such as the surface web.
A threat intelligence platform not only helps aggregate publicly available data from the web but also uses artificial intelligence to analyze that data and generate actionable insights.
