The “dark web” refers to the section of the internet that requires additional privacy support from visitors that can be provided by services like Tor and I2P. Entities (including websites) within the “dark web” are known as hidden services, and due to the access requirements for these services, they are not indexed by commonly-used search engines like Google and Bing. Naturally, some criminals take advantage of this extra security and privacy to buy, sell, and trade all manner of contraband, including stolen credentials.
Unfortunately, not all criminal activity takes place solely via the “dark web,” which means dark web monitoring tools offer insufficient protection. A large volume of criminal transactions, which can include the sale and trade of fresh breach data, happen through private exchange within trusted networks.
SpyCloud goes beyond dark web monitoring by leveraging human intelligence to infiltrate criminal communities and gain access to breach data that isn’t available otherwise, giving enterprises greater — and faster — visibility of exposed credentials and PII that threaten the security of their users’ accounts.
Companies seeking to protect customer and employee data often invest in dark web monitoring tools to alert them if their compromised data is being advertised or sold on dark web forums, as this is something they cannot do alone. Most tools use automated scanners, crawlers, and scrapers to locate stolen credentials on public sites.
Unfortunately, by the time stolen credentials appear on the deep and dark web, the data has often been available for months or years within criminal private communities.
The key is to identify breach exposures early — before criminals have had a chance to use them. SpyCloud researchers infiltrate criminal communities to gain access to breach data as soon as possible after a breach, empowering organizations to reset compromised credentials early and prevent account takeover.
Account takeover attempts may be highly targeted, particularly early in the breach timeline, making early detection critical. The earlier username and password breaches are flagged, the sooner action can be taken to force a password reset. The sooner the password is changed to a stronger, uncompromised one, the shorter the window attackers have to take advantage of vulnerable accounts.
SpyCloud enables you to protect your users from both automated credential stuffing attacks and more advanced types of account takeover attacks with fast, automated remediation of compromised credentials.
In addition to solutions for the enterprise, SpyCloud offers the ability to integrate our data — the most comprehensive compromised credential collection in the industry — to companies who are looking to offer their customers dark web monitoring or identity protection services.
Many digital banking platforms, mobile operators, and security solution providers make use of our data via a fast, easy-to-use, secure API.
Our award-winning products enable you to proactively protect your users’ accounts and thwart online fraud.
Protect your users from account takeover fraud and unauthorized purchases.
Protect your organization from breaches and BEC due to password reuse.
The activity we saw on criminal marketplaces during the 2020 holiday shopping season surprised us – huge spikes in the sales of crimeware tools and stolen credentials for particular restaurants, airlines and other consumer services accounts. Get the details in this on-demand webinar.
This SpyCloud Research Report demystifies the markets selling everything from drugs and guns to stolen credentials.
Download the SpyCloud White Paper to read our experts’ breakdown of how the underground market operates, how it is changing, and what can be done to protect you and your company.
Stop exposures from becoming account breaches.
