The principles of cybersecurity theory and practice have attempted to elucidate the nexus of dark web policing and data privacy. From a law enforcement standpoint, the dark web ecosystem has grown to become a large marketplace where sensitive data is sold to willing buyers and users.
The sensitive data ranges from personal information, banking data, and account credentials that are typically sold alongside cyberattack toolkits and guides. Generally, the more than 15 billion credentials that are being circulated across the hidden web fetch prices ranging from as little as $50 to as much as $500 per unit.
Organizations and law enforcement agencies looking to fight the issue of dark-web-enabled data privacy abuse must first get a grip on the motive behind cybercriminal data leaks. The events occurring after a successfully-orchestrated data breach are mostly followed by attackers publishing the gathered information on the dark web – which happens for various reasons.
First, threat actors publish stolen data for commercial reasons. It is pretty obvious that account credentials, banking information, health data and IT-related material would attract market value within criminal circles.
Usually, other cybercriminals choose to buy stolen data off the dark web to facilitate their individual phishing campaigns, identity theft operations and fraud schemes.
Second, a cybercriminal may choose to publish stolen data on the dark web with the intention of blackmailing their victims into meeting their terms. The common occurrence is that a cybercriminal would post samples of stolen data then coerce its owners into paying money to prevent exposure of the rest of their personal and professional information.
The third reason is ideological in nature. Threat actors may choose to publish stolen data on the dark web to pursue a political, and sometimes religious, purpose. The rationale behind ideologically-motivated data leaks and subsequent dark web exposure is that such revelations would ignite national-scale scandals to target victims.
Overall, the main motivation that drives cybercriminals to publish stolen data on the dark web is monetary profit. This fact exists within the reality that attackers are always looking to sell both personal and corporate information in exchange for financial benefits.
Just to highlight the commercial nature of data breaches, the world’s leading cyber intelligence platform, Digital Shadows, reported that the sale of access to corporate domains was priced at $3,000. The same observation was linked to the rise in cyber-attacks amid the COVID-19 government restrictions that forced companies to implement work-from-home policies.
Tips for Cyber-Resilience
Organizations and individuals must set up mechanisms to protect against ransomware. A proper way to approach ransomware protection would be for companies and government agencies to educate their employees and officers on being vigilant and building a robust cybersecurity culture.
In addition, the combination of a clear business continuity plan and technical cyber framework will go a long way to accord the much-needed cyber-resilience to respective corporate and governmental establishments.
Second, organizations must ensure that their cyber systems remain updated at all times. Outdated technology is one of the factors leading to company vulnerability as far as dark web-enabled cyber-attacks are concerned.
Experts have linked the use of legacy IT equipment and computer systems to the increase in risks involving security breaches considering that a host of such technologies cannot stand a chance in the face of modern cybercriminal ventures.
Finally, organizations need to conduct regular crisis management exercises in preparation for potential cyber-attacks. Quite unfortunately, most business continuity plans are designed to cater for natural disasters and terrorism – little effort is invested into cushioning firms against the eventuality of data breaches.
Organizational leadership and decision-making must place great emphasis on prevention mechanisms when dealing with cybersecurity issues.
The principles of cybersecurity theory and practice have attempted to elucidate the nexus of dark web policing and data privacy. From a law enforcement standpoint, the dark web ecosystem has grown to become a large marketplace where sensitive data is sold to willing buyers and users.
The sensitive data ranges from personal information, banking data, and account credentials that are typically sold alongside cyberattack toolkits and guides. Generally, the more than 15 billion credentials that are being circulated across the hidden web fetch prices ranging from as little as $50 to as much as $500 per unit.
Organizations and law enforcement agencies looking to fight the issue of dark-web-enabled data privacy abuse must first get a grip on the motive behind cybercriminal data leaks. The events occurring after a successfully-orchestrated data breach are mostly followed by attackers publishing the gathered information on the dark web – which happens for various reasons.
First, threat actors publish stolen data for commercial reasons. It is pretty obvious that account credentials, banking information, health data and IT-related material would attract market value within criminal circles.
Usually, other cybercriminals choose to buy stolen data off the dark web to facilitate their individual phishing campaigns, identity theft operations and fraud schemes.
Second, a cybercriminal may choose to publish stolen data on the dark web with the intention of blackmailing their victims into meeting their terms. The common occurrence is that a cybercriminal would post samples of stolen data then coerce its owners into paying money to prevent exposure of the rest of their personal and professional information.
The third reason is ideological in nature. Threat actors may choose to publish stolen data on the dark web to pursue a political, and sometimes religious, purpose. The rationale behind ideologically-motivated data leaks and subsequent dark web exposure is that such revelations would ignite national-scale scandals to target victims.
Overall, the main motivation that drives cybercriminals to publish stolen data on the dark web is monetary profit. This fact exists within the reality that attackers are always looking to sell both personal and corporate information in exchange for financial benefits.
Just to highlight the commercial nature of data breaches, the world’s leading cyber intelligence platform, Digital Shadows, reported that the sale of access to corporate domains was priced at $3,000. The same observation was linked to the rise in cyber-attacks amid the COVID-19 government restrictions that forced companies to implement work-from-home policies.
Tips for Cyber-Resilience
Organizations and individuals must set up mechanisms to protect against ransomware. A proper way to approach ransomware protection would be for companies and government agencies to educate their employees and officers on being vigilant and building a robust cybersecurity culture.
In addition, the combination of a clear business continuity plan and technical cyber framework will go a long way to accord the much-needed cyber-resilience to respective corporate and governmental establishments.
Second, organizations must ensure that their cyber systems remain updated at all times. Outdated technology is one of the factors leading to company vulnerability as far as dark web-enabled cyber-attacks are concerned.
Experts have linked the use of legacy IT equipment and computer systems to the increase in risks involving security breaches considering that a host of such technologies cannot stand a chance in the face of modern cybercriminal ventures.
Finally, organizations need to conduct regular crisis management exercises in preparation for potential cyber-attacks. Quite unfortunately, most business continuity plans are designed to cater for natural disasters and terrorism – little effort is invested into cushioning firms against the eventuality of data breaches.
Organizational leadership and decision-making must place great emphasis on prevention mechanisms when dealing with cybersecurity issues.
