Dark Web Monitoring: What is It and How Does It Work?

The dark web is home to a vast world of hidden websites and platforms — from illegal marketplaces and underground forums to ransomware sites and paste sites. Criminals love the dark web because it operates on the principle of anonymity, and they can find countless sources to help them engage in a wide range of illicit online activities. Organizations worldwide need to proactively monitor this hidden digital world to prepare for and mitigate the threats it enables.

What is dark web monitoring?

Dark web monitoring is the process of scanning the dark web systematically to collect data that will help organizations uncover potential security threats, stolen data, or illegal activities. It allows businesses and individuals to identify activities and information on the dark web that could negatively impact their safety, security, reputation, and financial well-being. Typically, dark web tracking services are made available through an automated platform, a web application, or a dark web monitoring API.

Why should organizations monitor the dark web?

Organizations should monitor the dark web for a host of reasons:

• Early threat detection and rapid response — Monitoring the dark web allows organizations to detect emerging threats and prepare for potential incidents. Businesses can discover stealer logs, leaked credentials, and data breaches before threat actors can take advantage of them and handle incidents faster.
  
• Brand and IP protection — Companies can protect their brand and intellectual property (IP) by detecting mentions on the dark web in real time. By monitoring the dark web, they can quickly discover leaked trade secrets or attacks on their reputation, addressing these threats before they cause financial or reputational harm.
  
• Sensitive information protection — Organizations can use dark web monitoring to discover stolen credentials, personally identifiable information (PII), and financial information on sale on the dark web. They can confirm the source of the data breach and take immediate action to secure their systems and mitigate the damage.
  
• Save time and money — Taking a proactive approach to security through dark web monitoring saves organizations a tremendous amount of time and money. According to an IBM report, the global average cost of a data breach in 2023 was $4.45 million. By discovering and addressing threats early, organizations can significantly reduce the cost of incident responses, government fines, and legal fees.

As you can see, companies gain many benefits from monitoring the dark web. However, they need to choose the right tool to do that effectively.

Dark web monitoring tools

Several types of dark web monitoring tools are available today:

• Commercial platforms with advanced capabilities, such as dark web tracking, threat intelligence, incident response, and threat hunting. These platforms tend to be designed for large businesses and enterprises. 
  
• Specialized standalone tools that let you search and monitor the dark web by creating custom searches or queries. They are typically commercial tools, although some may offer a limited free tier. Capabilities for these tools vary, with some having advanced features like smart filters and dynamic charts. 
  
• Open-source dark web monitoring tools have significant limitations compared to commercial tools, with most requiring advanced technical skills. However, they can be of some use, particularly for individuals and startups. For example, OWASP TorBot is an open-source tool that crawls sites with “.onion” domains. MISP is an open-source threat intelligence and sharing platform with a large community of users. 

Most commercial platforms and specialized tools provide access to dark web monitoring services through a user interface or API. Next, we’ll look at how these tools work.

How does dark web monitoring work?

Dark web monitoring involves continually scanning the dark web for specific information. In general, dark web monitoring tools function in the same way:

1. Collect data from sources across the dark web
   • The tool scours the dark web, collecting data from many sources, including forums, marketplaces, and ransomware sites. It searches for relevant information based on keywords, phrases, or patterns specified by the user. 
     
2. Process and analyze the data
   • The tool processes and analyzes the data it collects, looking for relevant information and patterns. It identifies compromised data (e.g., stolen credit card numbers, login credentials) and potential threats (e.g., discussions about ransomware kits, stealer logs, cyberattacks).
     
3. Monitor the dark web continuously
   • The tool performs ongoing dark web tracking, scanning for new compromised data and emerging threats based on the user’s search parameters. 
     
4. Generate alerts in real time and create reports
   • When the tool identifies relevant information or a potential threat, it automatically generates an alert that it sends to the user. Most tools will also create a detailed report outlining the threat and its potential impact.

While dark web monitoring tools generally work in the same way, each tool uses a different combination of technologies, which impacts its overall accuracy and effectiveness.

Technologies used for dark web monitoring

Dark web monitoring tools typically use a combination of technologies, which can include:

• Web crawlers — These are tools designed to navigate the web, finding links to visit or crawl. Specialized web crawlers crawl the dark web, finding links to hidden sites like dark web forums and marketplaces. Crawlers are typically used in combination with specialized web scrapers.
  
• Specialized web scrapers — These are tools that collect massive volumes of data from many sources across the dark web. They employ methods to avoid detection, like proxies and encryption. Some web scrapers are designed to bypass dark web protocols and access domains like “.onion.”
  
• Encryption and decryption — Dark web monitoring tools typically use encryption to safely access dark websites and avoid detection. Many discussions and files on the dark web are encrypted, so some tools use decryption technologies to access them.
  
• Proxies and VPNs — Many tools use proxies to hide their IP addresses and general locations, making it difficult to trace dark web monitoring activities. Some tools also employ Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to bypass geographical restrictions and for further privacy.
  
• Artificial intelligence — Many automated dark web monitoring platforms use several subsets of AI, which include:
  • Machine learning — Used to continuously monitor sources across the dark web and filter out noise in the data. It can recognize patterns and predict trends based on historical data, identifying emerging threats and detecting anomalies. Many tools use supervised machine learning to classify known threats, such as stealer logs, ransomware, and data leaks.
  • Natural language processing (NLP) — Enables dark web monitoring tools to analyze text and metadata based on keywords and phrases, referencing these attributes to extract relevant information. NLP is also used for topic modeling, where the tool identifies and categorizes topics of discussion on dark web forums and marketplaces.
  • Natural language understanding (NLU) — Allows automated tools to understand various aspects of human language, such as context, sentiment, and slang. NLU helps tools understand complex data found on the dark web, which helps better identify illegal activities and potential threats. 
  • Computer vision — Some dark web tracking tools use computer vision to identify and classify images found on dark web sites. Optical Character Recognition (OCR), a subset of computer vision, allows tools to extract text from images, which can then be analyzed using NLP and NLU. Computer vision is also useful for detecting logos and brands in images as well as extrapolating locations based on landmarks or geotags.
    
• APIs — Most vendors provide an API to allow systems and applications to leverage capabilities like real-time alerts, auto-generated reports, and data sharing. APIs enable organizations to create custom integrations that fulfill their specific security requirements. Some vendors offer APIs that provide access to dark web data. For example, Webz.io’s Dark Web API provides access to millions of dark web sites, including forums and marketplaces. 

Tools for monitoring the dark web have evolved over the years, and a growing number of them leverage AI technologies. Whether you’re applying dark web monitoring for business or governments, effective dark web monitoring tools have the same core features.

Top features of dark web monitoring tools

Not all dark web monitoring tools are the same. You should look for a tool that has these key features:

• Comprehensive coverage — Uncovering emerging threats requires a massive amount of diverse data. Look for a tool that tracks content from a wide range of sources on the dark web, including forums, marketplaces, paste sites, and ransomware sites. 
  
• Real-time monitoring and alerts — Threat actors constantly find ways to exploit vulnerabilities, sharing leaked information within hours. Make sure the tool you choose has real-time monitoring and sends an alert the second it detects an emerging threat.
  
• Advanced search and filters — The dark web is filled with noise and irrelevant information. Find a tool with advanced search (e.g., keywords, data types, domains) and filtering capabilities so you can find relevant data for your specific use case. 
  
• Multi-language support — Threat actors live around the world, and for many, English is not their native language. You need a dark web tracking tool that supports many different languages so you can monitor and detect threats worldwide. 
  
• Easy integration — Some platforms include capabilities like threat intelligence and incident response that you would want to integrate with systems and applications. These platforms typically provide an easy-to-use API for seamless integrations.
  
• Visualization and reporting — Dark web data is complex and often hard to understand. Look for a tool that has visualization capabilities, where you can analyze the data through dynamic charts and graphs or detailed reports. 

If you choose a tool with these key features, you can better minimize company risk.

How proactive monitoring can help reduce company risk

Proactive dark web monitoring can help reduce risk for companies in several areas:

Reduce financial risk

• Early data breach detection — Organizations can reduce the overall time and costs associated with data breaches by continually monitoring the dark web for information originating from their systems or applications. They can monitor for company-specific information, such as credit card numbers, login credentials, and company financial records.
  
• Fraud prevention — Companies can use information from the dark web to help protect customer accounts from fraud and prevent fraudulent transactions, which can lead to significant financial losses. Many fraudsters buy stolen information, such as credit card numbers and personally identifiable information (PII) from dark web marketplaces, using it for various fraudulent purposes.
  
• Meet regulatory compliance — Some industries and countries have strict regulations regarding sensitive data. Violating data regulations can lead to costly fines, penalties, and legal fees. Companies can use dark web tracking to identify data leaks early and help meet compliance requirements, reducing the financial costs for compliance.

Mitigate reputational risk

• Brand protection — Criminals can damage a brand’s reputation through various means, such as data breaches and the sale of fraudulent products. Companies can monitor the dark web for discussions about their brands and identify unauthorized use of company logos. They can address threats before they cause significant damage to their reputations.
  
• Detect credential theft — Many fraudsters buy stolen credentials from dark web marketplaces, using them to launch credential stuffing attacks. Businesses can monitor the dark web for stolen credentials, resetting logins before fraudsters can get in and take over customer accounts. Failing to prevent account takeovers will upset many customers, leading to tarnished reputations.

Decrease operational risk

• Prevent disruptions — Threat actors often discuss on dark web forums potential plans for attacking businesses or their supply chains. For example, some might talk about launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) or ransomware attacks against specific companies. Others might suggest disrupting supply chains through Zero-day exploits or malware attacks. By monitoring the dark web, companies can uncover potential threats that could disrupt business operations.
  
• Employ strategic planning — The dark web contains a wealth of information businesses can leverage for strategic planning. By identifying threats indicated in dark web discussions, businesses can strengthen their security measures, helping to reduce operational risks. 

Now that you know how dark web monitoring works and its benefits, which tool should you use? The best way to answer that is to thoroughly research and evaluate different types of tools. Our analysts rely on Lunar, a tool we’ve developed that lets users identify and act on potential threats in near real-time. 

Dark web monitoring: uncovering threats with Lunar

You need a tool that will help you get the most out of monitoring dark web data — and Lunar does that. Our monitoring tool tracks content on the deep and dark web so you can investigate threats in near real time — from infected devices and ransomware indications to compromised domains and leaked credit card information. Our tool has the features you need to proactively monitor the dark and deep web: 

• AI-powered searches — Search faster with AI-powered queries so you can get to every threat.
• Instant alerts — Stay ahead of threats with customized, real-time alerts.
• Filters and visualizations — Get deeper insights using smart filters and dynamic charts.
• Comprehensive coverage — Monitor continuously for any traces of compromised data, critical mentions, and threats.

Understanding the complex and hidden network of sites on the dark web is the first step to combatting its dangers, and you can do that with Lunar. It is a powerful tool for accessing, monitoring, and investigating emerging dark web threats.

To learn more about how to use Lunar to monitor the dark web, get in touch with us.