Ransomware has emerged to become one of the most prolific cybersecurity risks in the world. It is a crime that is comparatively easy to pull off and, for the successful perpetrator, quite profitable. So what can businesses, institutions, and security experts do? A good place to start is dark web monitoring.
It does no good to ignore the ransomware threat until after you have been the victim of a successful attack. Ransomware is one of those all-or-nothing things. So the only way to prevent the damage it causes is to ensure your organization is never successfully attacked. That is the primary strategy behind dark web monitoring.
The Scope of the Problem
Before discussing dark web monitoring as a tool to fight ransomware, it is appropriate to look at the actual scope of the problem. Here is what the global internet community is looking at, based on 2023 data:
- 72% of all cyber-attacks were related to ransomware.
- 83% of ransomware victims paid their attackers.
- the average ransom paid was $1.54 million.
- more than 72% of global businesses were impacted by ransomware in some way
It is clear that ransomware is a profitable crime. It is also clear that no organization that utilizes the internet for any reason is safe. Every organization is a potential victim. That being the case, organizations need to pay attention to dark web monitoring.
What Dark Web Monitoring Does
Dark web monitoring is the practice of using tools, technology, and skill to monitor what goes on across the dark web. And of course, the dark web is that portion of the worldwide web that cannot be accessed through traditional means. You need special tools and knowledge to get there.
The dark web is also the home of all sorts of illegal and nefarious activities. It is the obvious online home for cyber criminals who use the dark web as a communication tool, marketplace, and general information portal – the same way the rest of us use the public internet.
Monitoring the dark web is about intelligence. It’s about reconnaissance. Security experts monitor the dark web in hopes of staying abreast of what cybercriminals are planning. Deploying it in the fight against ransomware is done with the underlying goal of learning about potential attacks before they occur.
What Dark Web Monitoring Accomplishes
Ransomware attacks continued in 2024 with similar results; they will continue in 2025 and beyond. If you are interested in knowing more about the most active ransomware groups I’ve 2024, check out this blog post from DarkOwl. The dark web data intelligence firm recommends dark web monitoring to fight against ransomware. Here’s what dark web monitoring accomplishes:
- Early Threat Detection – Continual monitoring helps organizations identify potential ransomware threats before they materialize.
- Leak Detection – Stolen credentials are the primary means by which hackers pull off ransomware attacks. Dark web monitoring can uncover leaked credential information in the earliest stages.
- Group Intelligence – With ongoing monitoring, security teams can learn a lot about ransomware groups, thus allowing them to stay ahead of their attackers.
- Incident Response – Dark web monitoring keeps securing teams better informed so that when an attack is launched, the most effective incident response is deployed.
Dark web monitoring is by no means a panacea for ransomware. It is also not a tool that can stop ransomware all on its own. But dark web monitoring is an important strategy for keeping track of cyber criminals and what they are up to. It provides advanced knowledge that can help security teams fend off ransomware attacks before a network is breached and locked down.
