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Text appears below a red umbrella logo: The Dark Side of the Internet.
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SPEAKER: What is the dark web? Think of it as a business that could potentially ruin your business. The dark web can make cyber breaches profitable for thieves, and they don't even need to be skilled hackers.
Now bad guys can buy hacking kits, and then sell the data they steal on the black market. Hard to picture it? Well, if the internet was an iceberg, the public web would be the top part, like Google, Facebook, and YouTube, that is accessible to the general public through standard internet browsers.
Underneath the surface though is the rest of the world wide web. The dark web is an encrypted and anonymous area where users and websites can hide their identity by using software, like the Tor encryption tool and browser. Using software encryption tools sites can encrypt data across a network of routers to provide greater privacy, as well as allow users to communicate anonymously through encrypted browsers without exchanging IP addresses that otherwise could identify someone on the public web.
A one-stop shop for cyber criminals. Black market sites on the dark web sell physical and digital contraband of all kinds, making it a convenient and anonymous marketplace for cyber thieves. It's like one-stop shopping for the tools needed to commit and profit from cybercrime. Examples of stolen data for sale on the dark web can include information like Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, tax information, and medical records. It could also include confidential corporate information and other private protected or proprietary information.
The dark web is also a marketplace for hacker tools. After buying an exploit kit, malware, or virus, cyber thieves can target unsuspecting employees using tactics like spear phishing, a common email-spoofing attack. The opening of a single, legitimate-looking email by an employee can infect the whole company. And from there, the data can be exfiltrated from the company's network for sale on the dark web.
How can you protect your company? To protect your business from cyber attacks targeting data that may be bought and sold on the dark web, educate your employees about spear phishing attempts. Prepare an incident response plan and talk to your independent insurance agent about cyber insurance.
For more, visit travelers.com.
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Text, Visit Travelers dot com. The Dark Side of the Internet. Copyright 2018 The Travelers Indemnity Company. All rights reserved. Travelers and the Travelers Umbrella logo are registered trademarks of The Travelers Indemnity Company in the U.S. and other countries.
