Protecting Your Data and Communications on the Dark Web

The Dark Web allows criminals to sell everything from illegal drugs and weapons to malware and hitmen for hire. But it’s also home to chess clubs, social networks for people in closed societies, and whistleblower sites.

The Tor network—short for Onion Router—supports the Dark Web by using layers of encryption to protect searches and communications from prying eyes. But this radical anonymity comes with costs.
Identity Theft Monitoring

You’ve likely heard that hackers often use the dark web to buy and sell your personal information. The dark web is a small portion of the Internet that can’t be accessed through normal search engines. It’s an area where criminals trade stolen credit card and bank account information, email addresses, social security numbers, hacked passwords and more. Scammers also scour the dark web for your info, hoping to find it in data breaches or on compromised websites you visit.

A dark web scanner is one tool that helps you keep an eye on this risk. These tools are similar to antivirus software, and they scour places on the dark web where criminals trade your info, looking for your name, address, phone number, SS number and more. Then they send you notifications if they find those details, which can help you take quick action. These services are available on a standalone basis or as part of an identity theft protection plan.

The best identity theft protection plans go beyond dark web scanning to monitor your credit reports, online bank accounts and other digital information for signs of fraud. They’re also able to detect if your personal information has been exposed due to a data breach. And if they detect a problem, dedicated identity restoration agents will work to get the issue resolved.

It’s no secret that data breaches are more common than you might think. It can happen to even reputable companies, such as banks and online retailers. It can also affect third-party vendors you trust, such as your doctor or dentist’s office. And it can even involve your local community, such as a city government or your local school district.

Many people worry about having their personal information sold on the dark web, and for good reason. A data breach can expose sensitive info, such as your name, email address, credit card and bank account numbers, sSN, passport number and more. Those details can then be used by scammers to steal your money and access your personal accounts. Identity theft monitoring scans the dark web for your information and notifies you if it’s found. In addition to dark web monitoring, identity theft protection services include a variety of other features that can help you stay safe, including antimalware and antivirus protections.
Antimalware & Antivirus Protections

The dark web is a section of the Internet that’s not indexed by search engines and is only accessible through specialized browsers. This hidden portion of the Internet has earned its name due to the fact that it enables criminals and cybercriminals to remain anonymous online, thus facilitating illicit activities.

The dark Web also enables criminals to bypass detection by antivirus software, making it easier for them to access and exploit victims’ personal information and credentials. Cybercriminals often sell stolen data and credentials on the Dark Web, especially after a major breach of a business or government agency.

Some of the most sensitive personal information on the internet is sold by cybercriminals on the dark web, including your passwords, email addresses and other security-related data. This information can be used to gain unauthorized access to your personal and financial accounts, leading to identity theft and other scams.

A criminal who gains access to your information on the dark web could use it to buy flat-screen TVs or computers and transfer money from your bank account, among other things. You can reduce the risk of this happening by running a dark web scan with a company that will search the Dark Web for your personal information and notify you of any findings.

Many companies offer dark web monitoring services that run a scan of the Dark Web for compromised personal and business information, including passwords, email addresses and other security-related credentials. These services are similar to a normal search engine, but they look for leaked information on the Dark Web and alert you when it is found. You can then take proactive steps to protect yourself, like changing your passwords and contacting your credit card companies and banks to prevent any fraudulent charges.
Secure Messaging Apps

When it comes to protecting your data and communications, you can't overlook the power of secure messaging apps. These apps encrypt all incoming and outgoing messages using tried-and-true encryption methods. In addition, many offer self-destructing capabilities, local encrypted backups, and other features to keep you safe.

You may have heard of the Dark Web, a different part of the internet that isn't "indexed" by search engines and requires authentication to view. The Dark Web is a haven for cybercriminals and other types of bad actors who want to keep their activities anonymous. This includes illegal drug sales, weapon sales, money laundering, and even hitmen for hire. It also houses extreme pornography, child pornography, live murders and tortures, red rooms, psychic crazy people, and all kinds of other disturbing content.

The good news is that you can avoid the Dark Web and still enjoy all the benefits of the internet without the risks. You can do this by using a VPN like Avast SecureLine to create a tunnel that encrypts all your online activity, including the messages you send and receive with your secure messaging app.

When choosing a secure messaging app, make sure the encryption method is strong and the company doesn't store any data that could compromise your privacy. Look for an app with an open source code so it's put through more security tests and is regularly checked for bugs that could be used by cybercriminals to infect your device with malware.

Also, consider how the app protects metadata (information about a message that doesn't contain the actual text), such as location or time stamps. Many secure messaging apps don't save this information and instead delete it immediately after the message is read.

For example, the popular Android app Signal offers end-to-end encryption using a tried-and-true algorithm along with voice and video calls, group chats, and photo and media sharing. It also has some unique privacy solutions such as a QR friend adder and encrypted backups stored locally on your phone.
Privacy & Security

The anonymity of the dark web enables criminals to engage in illegal activities like arms trafficking, drug dealing, child abuse, and sharing exploitative content. This nook of the Internet also provides an outlet for people who are speaking out against government oppression and who fear backlash from their real names being revealed.

Unfortunately, the dark web is also used by cybercriminals to sell stolen information. When companies are breached and their customer data is exposed, cybercriminals often upload the compromised information to the dark web for sale.

This can include personal and financial information such as credit card numbers, Social Security Numbers, and banking credentials. It can also include documents that contain sensitive business information or private photos.

If your personal or business information ends up on the dark web, you need to act fast. Here are some steps to take:

Change Your Passwords
If a password you use to log into a website appears on the dark web, it may be vulnerable to theft and hacking. For this reason, it’s a good idea to change your passwords for any accounts that save payment information.

Cancel Your Bank Accounts
If it’s your credit or debit card that shows up on the dark web, Official hidden wiki canceling them and contacting your bank can help prevent future fraud. Additionally, it’s a good idea to beef up your security by adding two-factor authentication or other ways to make logging into your bank account more difficult.

Dark Web Monitoring
Cybercriminals are constantly finding new ways to steal passwords and other information that can be sold on the dark web. WatchGuard’s Dark Web Monitoring scans the dark web to uncover this information and alert you when it’s found. This helps you and your team know to take action before hackers get in.