Fighting Back Against the Dark Web

A dark web scan reveals what info is compromised

​The first thing you need to know is what personal information of yours is on the dark web. With all the massive data breaches in the past few years, the truth is that it’s almost guaranteed that some of your personal information has been exposed, and you may have taken action such as setting up credit freezes and regularly monitoring your credit reports. But you need a tool such as a dark web scan to tell you what specific accounts, passwords, or user IDs have been compromised so that you can take specific action to defend yourself.

​Say, for example, that results from a dark web scan reveal that your bank account number has been posted on the dark web. Knowing which account is in danger, you have several options to protect your money.

If your financial information is breached, you can limit harm by:

• Changing the account password. Hopefully, you already have unique passwords on all your accounts, but if you know which account is in immediate danger, you can change its password right away, before a criminal tries to take it over.

• Setting up two-factor authentication for account logins or transactions, using fingerprint or face ID on your mobile device or verification codes sent by text message or email.

• Enabling fraud alerts (if you haven’t already) that notify you of any activity on the account.

• Consider closing your account. If you want to be extra sure that a criminal can’t get to your account, you could close it and transfer the funds to a new account.

​There are other actions you could take if a dark web scan told you that your driver’s license, passport, or medical identity were compromised.

A dark web scan is your second line of defense

​Protecting your identity is like national defense: The U.S. protects its borders, but it also depends on intelligence services to detect and fight specific threats that might slip past border defenses. In the same way, general practices such as credit freezes and credit monitoring are a good first line of defense, but identity thieves can slip past them. A dark web scan provides a second line of defense, helping you anticipate where criminals will strike, so you can stop them in their tracks.

3 features to look for in a dark web scan

Now that you know why a dark web scan is so valuable, the next step is to choose a vendor. There’s no shortage of options and the features and costs vary widely. Here are some things to consider in your search:

1. Breadth and Depth of the Scan
   Look for a comprehensive scanning service that goes beyond just the dark web. IDX’s CyberScan perpetually scans all levels of the dark web – surface, dark and deep — to reach a third more of the dark web than other services. It also includes our innovative new SocialSentry™ privacy protection service for Facebook users.

2. Frequency of Scan
   Just because your data wasn’t found on the dark web when the scan was run, doesn’t mean it won’t show up a day, week, or even just minutes later. That’s why it’s important to find an ongoing solution that’s more than just a one-time scan. Our CyberScan technology, continuously monitors more than 14 billion data points across the entire web, performs expert validation on the data it finds, and alerts users if their email has been compromised. (The other most common dark web scanning product only does a one-time scan of only 600K sites.)

3. Alerts and Guidance
   A top-notch scan will alert you not only about what personal information has been found on the dark web, but also come with recommendations on how to prevent thieves from exploiting it. That important inclusion will save you not only headaches but, potentially, lots of time and money.