What is the “Dark Web”?

Technology evolves at a rapid pace, as do the buzzwords surrounding it. If you been paying even a little bit of attention lately, you’ve undoubtedly heard the term “dark web”, or in some cases, the “darknet”. But what exactly is it?

The dark web is an encrypted part of the internet that is rarely accessible to most of us. When we Google something, and we see pages and pages of results, what we’re seeing is actually only a very small portion of the internet. There is a lot that we don’t see.

The dark web is typically accessed by using specialized software that provides the necessary configurations and authorizations needed to gain access.

While not everything about the dark web is nefarious, it’s unregulated use makes it highly attractive to criminals. The dark web where an increasing list of criminal activities are undertaken. The shadows, if you will.

Illegal weapons, counterfeit documents and money, alternate identities and even radioactive materials are just some of the things that are regularly traded or sold on the dark web.

But, you’re thinking, that doesn’t sound like it should affect me.

Perhaps. But if you consider that the internet itself is really just built out of information, it’s some of that information that is the most widely traded commodity on the dark web. Personal information. The information that you would not want to fall into the hands of others, such as credit card numbers, bank account information, or passwords.

The dark web is also where cybercrimes of all types are developed and continue to evolve, with hackers trading ideas, tools, and co-developing computer viruses and bugs – usually for the purpose of obtaining your private information.

Hopefully, you’ve taken the proper precautions for protecting your personal information. But have you done the same for your business? Consider what would happen if cybercriminals got their hands on your business financial information, or even worse – your customer’s financial information. You don’t, in fact, need to imagine it. It happens every day. Just read the news – the stories are all out there.

Capital Business Systems can help you develop network security measures that keep your business safe, and help keep your data off of the dark web.

For more information, please contact us.