Understanding our adversaries and their behaviors is crucial when it comes to building effective security controls. This knowledge allows us to develop strategies such as threat intelligence, penetration testing, monitoring, and threat modeling, which in turn enhance our readiness and operational preparedness. One powerful tool that aids in understanding attacker activity is the Mitre ATT&CK framework, which helps defenders identify evidence of attacker techniques and procedures. Likewise, the Lockheed Martin Cyber Kill Chain provides insights into attacker campaigns, enabling us to disrupt their activities before they can cause harm.
Recognizing the value of comprehending our enemies, enterprise dark web monitoring has emerged as a means of gathering critical information about potential threats. By monitoring the dark web, which is accessed through TOR, organizations can achieve several key objectives. First, it serves as an early warning system, alerting organizations to upcoming attacks. Furthermore, it acts as a detective control, allowing organizations to detect data exfiltration attempts. Finally, dark web monitoring serves as a valuable data source about attacker activity.
Imagine you discover data about your organization exposed on the dark web. This could include critical business intelligence, plans, user data, customer data, or any other sensitive information. The presence of this data indicates a breach and alerts you to take immediate action. Additionally, dark web monitoring helps organizations search for information about their users. Since users often reuse passwords across multiple platforms, probing the dark web can uncover compromised credentials, enabling organizations to secure the affected accounts. Furthermore, organizations can leverage dark web monitoring to gather data on attacker activities, methodologies, and tradecraft, providing valuable insights that inform defense strategies and control selection.
When considering integrating dark web monitoring into your organization’s security program, there are two main options to consider. Large companies can choose to build their own monitoring capabilities internally, while smaller firms can opt to outsource this function to specialized providers. Each option has its pros and cons. Outsourcing can be appealing as it saves time and resources, given that dark web monitoring requires specialized skills and access to various online platforms used by attackers. However, building an internal team offers more flexibility and customization.
The decision of whether to build or outsource dark web monitoring should be approached systematically, taking into account organization-specific factors. For larger organizations that have already invested heavily in in-house threat intelligence capabilities, integrating enterprise dark web monitoring within the existing structure makes sense. On the other hand, smaller organizations may find it more cost-effective to outsource this function to specialized providers.
In conclusion, understanding our adversaries and their activities is essential for effective security controls. Dark web monitoring provides a valuable means of gathering information about potential threats. By implementing this capability, organizations can receive early warnings about upcoming attacks, detect data exfiltration attempts, and gain insights into attacker activity. Whether organizations choose to build their own internal monitoring capabilities or outsource to specialized providers depends on their specific needs, resources, and existing infrastructure. Regardless of the approach, the knowledge gained from dark web monitoring enhances an organization’s overall security posture.