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More businesses in the region are taking advantage of dark web monitoring services to reduce the threat of cyberattacks, according to Bondgate IT.

The Darlington-based company has seen increased awareness by businesses who are recognising that dark web monitoring should be part of a multi-layered approach to cyber security.

Dark web monitoring provides the ability to scan for, and locate, personal and business information being offered for sale to criminals on the dark web, a hidden collection of internet sites only accessible through a specialised web browser.

According to the latest figures, the dark web accounts for 48 per cent of the entire internet and is the origin of many high-profile malware attacks and tools.

Last year, credentials for more than 500,000 accounts of video conferencing platform Zoom were being sold or offered for free on the dark web, involving email addresses, passwords, personal meeting URLs, and PIN codes – allowing hackers to use the same information to potentially access other accounts.

Garry Brown, managing director of Bondgate IT, described the dark web as a hub for a whole host of stolen data, from passwords and email addresses to personal credentials and credit card information.

All can be traced to hackers, who in turn use the sensitive data to access both personal and business accounts, leaving companies and organisations vulnerable to a cyberattack. He said: “Cybercrime is becoming ever more sophisticated, but fortunately so are the tools available to counteract it.

“A growing number of clients are much more aware of the threat posed by the dark web, due to a number of high-profile cases, and the monitoring service is being added to strengthen their suite of security measures.

“Subscribing to a monitoring service, as part of a bespoke IT security package, means that we can constantly scan for items of sensitive information on the dark web that could be used to damage a business or organisation, including the injection of malware and viruses.

“This is a proactive approach that flags up potential threats, increasing reaction speeds to potential data breaches and reducing the time available for a criminal to exploit business data or systems.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by News Gathering .