What is Your Information Worth on the Dark Web?
The Deep Web is a vast and mysterious place. One that comes brings up a lot of questions, like “what is the Dark Web?”, “Who has access to it?”, “What is your information worth on the Dark Web?” We’ll be going over all of it in this blog post. Let’s get into it.
Here’s a crazy statistic, think about the entire internet you know and use today. Did you know that it only makes up about 10% of the entirety of the World Wide Web?
That’s right, the majority of the internet we use every day is only 10% of the whole. The rest of the internet is hidden away from the general public. It requires a special kind of access to view.
This place is commonly referred to as the Deep Web, and tucked deep within it lies a sometimes dangerous place known as the Dark Web.
In this blog, we will be going over what the Dark Web is and what that means for your personal information.
A Quick Overview of the Dark Web
Before we continue, I think it’s important to quickly define the Dark Web and describe how users commonly access it.
As you can probably guess, you can’t access the Dark Web using the average browser like Chrome or Safari. Instead, users need access to a Tor browser… anonymously of course.
Tor stands for “The Onion Router,” and it is a unique portal that connects users to Dark Web domains in a complex manner that is meant to protect a user’s identity. This is how users are able to access these websites anonymously.
The Dark Web is not a good place.
It’s a haven for bad people who want to commit illegal activities; where they can purchase things like drugs, weapons, malware or other people’s personal information.
What is your Information Worth on the Dark Web?
Now that we have that out of the way, you’re probably wondering what the market value is for your personal information. It’s why you clicked on this blog post, right?
Here’s a graphic from Enrique Mendoza that gives a great look into this obscure area of the internet. He outlines some of the typical goods sold on there and the prices of such goods.
Let’s look into the most popular products being sold on the Dark Web like credit card data, document forging, hacked information.
One of the most expensive things for sale is premium malware, which is listed roughly at $5,500 for 1,000 installs.
Yes, premium malware is expensive, but that doesn’t stop cyber criminals from paying this price.
There are still billions of malware attacks happening every year that cause massive financial damage. Hackers consider each attack, a pay day for them.
On the other side of the spectrum, you have the items you can buy for sometimes less than $20.
In this section we’re talking Netflix logins, PayPal accounts and even worse, stolen credit card details, some complete with CVV.
How to Secure Your Personal Data
This is why making sure you’re protecting yourself and your personal information from identity theft is more important than ever. Especially as the barrier between the physical and digital worlds grows increasingly hazy.
This information can be stressful to hear. No one wants their data ending up on the Dark Web.
Lucky for you, there are a number of proactive steps you can take that will lessen your risk of being hacked.
Be Weary of Public Wi-Fi.
The first is to be wear of public Wi-Fi. Make sure to use a VPN anytime you’re using a public network.
Use Strong & Unique Passwords
Next, you should always be using unique and strong passwords for each online account.
Think about investing in a password manager.
A number of these services make it easy to store and secure passwords, and some will even suggest strong passwords during account making.
Purchase an Anti-Malware Software
The last piece of advice I have for you is to purchase an anti-malware software to fend off intrusive visitors.
Hackers are looking for people who don’t put these systems in place to protect their information.
At the very least, don’t make it easy for someone to access your personal data.
Otherwise, you might have your information up for sale on the darkest parts of the web.
If you’d like to find out your business’ network position on the deep web, make sure to check out our website. We are offering complimentary business Dark Web Scans to all our listeners. All you have to enter is a business email.
Click here to schedule a free 15-minute meeting with Stan Kats, our Founder and Chief Technologist.
STG IT Consulting Group proudly provides IT Service for Small to Medium Businesses in Greater Los Angeles. We’d love to see if we can help you too!
