Cybercrime has been an ongoing situation since the internet was first invented. In a virtual reality where businesses focus on the sale of their products and aim to increase their profit margin, the fact that they do not take sufficient measures to protect their customers’ information concerning virtual security makes it inevitable that they will become the focus of cybercrime. It brings the Is the Dark Web a threat to small businesses?” question to mind.
There has been an increase in the number of people who many people know as black hat hackers and who take action for personal purposes or motivation in a way that falls within the scope of cybercrime. The data collected by hackers who carry out not only individual but also organizational activities is sold on the Dark Web.
A Brief Look at the Stolen Data Junkyard on the Dark Web
First of all, it should be known that the Dark Web is not an open space for everyone or all TOR users. In other words, people’s stolen credit card information is not information that can be accessed by taking a link from the Hidden Wiki front page. The Dark Web, which is more closed and more protected, is an environment where illegal products or products can be sold illegally, as well as stolen personal information.
Some of the stolen personal data include:
- Identity
- Credit card information
- Home address, etc.
It is necessary to clarify the issue of hacking while answering the “Is the Dark Web a threat to small businesses?” question. The information we mentioned above is not only information that can be stolen in cyberspace. As it is known, the act of hacking does not consist of acts that are performed only virtually and cause boundary violations.
Therefore, the case of hacking a company or a person is not only a situation specific to the Dark Web. Many people share information about their ideas, appearance, and even home addresses for free through their social media accounts. Although problematic, being hacked is an act that can happen to anyone and has been carried out without most people even knowing.
The Increase in the Sale of Data on the Dark Web
In the study of the Verizon/Ponemon Institute Data Breach Investigations Report conducted in 2021, it was determined that 60% of identity information was stolen in phishing attacks, while 40% of them as personal data. Likewise, it has been reported that there are currently more than 24.6 billion usernames and passwords on the Dark Web at a minimum.
Because small businesses do not take sufficient precautions against cybercrime, the victims of these attacks usually consist of small and medium-sized enterprises. It is possible to answer yes to the “Is the Dark Web a threat to small businesses?” question. However, it is not possible to access this stolen data via Dark Web Hidden Wiki links. Therefore, the Hidden Wiki is mostly part of the Deep Web.