7 Features Your Dark Web Monitoring Platform Needs to Have

1. Does your platform help you to write your queries using an AI builder?

A. Writing queries is an elegant art, quite similar to code writing: one small error and the returned results will be wrong. If you get the wrong results you could end up combing through noise for hours or even days. A feature like AI powered query building will ensure your queries are written correctly the first time, significantly reducing the chances for wasted resources.

2. Does your platform measure risk on a domain level or does it only work with manual queries? 

A. Organizations face risks from multiple categories. However, we have found that most risks associated with businesses can be classified at a domain level. A simple to read dashboard can give you a great snapshot of the external threats facing your domain and allow you to react more quickly.

B. In addition to showing you how your domain is at risk, the dashboard should be user-friendly and make it easy to investigate each type of risk. 

3. What should you see on your domain risk dashboard?

A. Company risk
B. Overview of leaked employee and client accounts
C. Top sources of chatter about your company on the dark web and SOCMINT
D. CVEs associated with the domain
E. All of the above 

4. Does the dark web monitoring tool offer automated report building capabilities to assess potential threats associated with your organization’s domains?

A. Reports are the lifeblood of many incident response and threat intel capabilities. They are a great way to summarize your findings so that an external asset can take the recommended actions from within the report. However, the research associated with reports often takes hours to create; time which can be spent performing other high priority tasks. Look for platforms that automate reports to reduce the workload around cases.

B. Reports are an important tool for efficiently sharing your findings with other team members. After all, the faster they receive critical information, the faster they can move against threats. 

5. Does the platform provide you with information from the dark, deep, and open web? Including relevant cyber news data from the open web.

A. As much as we would like for cybercriminals to behave in a way that is easily trackable, they seem to think otherwise (shocking, I know). Cybercriminals and APT groups will often hide in the noise of the open web on forums and other deep web locations. Additionally, reporters will often break stories on zero day exploits, cybercriminal activity, and breaches. You don’t want a platform that will only provide the dark web side of the story while the open and deep web is so relevant.

6. Is the data included in your platform sourced by the provider or are they completely reliant on 3rd party sourcing?

A. A dark web monitoring platform should not solely rely on third-party data sources. By pulling data directly from its own data collection capability, the platform can ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the information. This direct access allows for rigorous quality checks and validation processes, minimizing the risk of receiving inaccurate or outdated data. Additionally, pulling data directly enables real-time updates, providing organizations with the most current intelligence to identify and mitigate potential threats promptly.

7. How often does your platform update their sources to include new sources which constantly pop up from the dark and open web?

A. The dark web is a constantly evolving landscape, with new sources and threat actors emerging regularly. An effective dark web monitoring platform must keep pace with these changes to provide accurate and up-to-date intelligence. By continuously adding new data sources, the platform can expand its coverage, ensuring that it captures a broader range of potential threats. This proactive approach is essential for organizations to stay informed about emerging risks and take timely action to protect their assets.

8. Posts on the dark web appear in multiple languages. How easy is it to translate your search results? 

A. The dark web is a global marketplace, and posts appear in a variety of languages. Being able to easily translate search results into English is crucial for organizations to understand and assess potential threats from around the world. A platform that offers seamless translation capabilities allows security teams to efficiently monitor and analyze information in their native language, ensuring that no critical intelligence is missed due to language barriers. This feature is particularly valuable for organizations with international operations or that face threats from diverse regions.

Your dark web platform should work for you, not create more work for you. Look for platforms like Lunar that will monitor the dark web on your behalf, help you write your queries correctly the first time, and automate as much of the work as a software possibly can. Beyond the expansive levels of first party dark web data (powered by Webz.io, the leader in open, deep, and dark web intelligence) Lunar includes relevant data from the open and deep web, ensuring comprehensive coverage of risks  towards your business. On top of this, our translation engine ensures that it doesn’t matter what language the cybercriminals are speaking in; you will understand it. In short, Lunar gives you the tools you need without the complexity that makes you work for the software to give you the results you need.

To learn more about Lunar, please visit us at www.webz.io/products/Lunar.