Secure your biggest asset – your data
Do you know how much your data is worth on the Dark Web?
Here at White Box, we’re serious about two things: digital security and data visualisation.
So, we thought that we’d combine them into one topic to see what insights we could find and share with you.
If you’ve ever seen one of those headline-grabbing digital breaches in the news, then you’ve probably wondered what happens to all of that stolen data that hackers go to so much trouble to obtain. After all, you can’t exactly advertise stolen credit card details on Facebook Marketplace and most people don’t have a use for any of the random pieces of information that disappear during a major privacy breach.
The answer, as you may or may not know, is that it’s all sold on the Dark Web – a sort of subterranean digital marketplace where you can buy anything from firearms to fake passports and hacking attacks. But have you ever wondered how much it costs to buy credit card details or hire a hacker on the Dark Web?
Don’t worry - we have too.
It’s just a general curiosity, mind you! But the mind does wonder.
In fact, we became so curious that we decided to do a bit of digging (in very legal, publicly available information from 2021!) to find out exactly how much a trip down to the Dark Web will cost you. To make things easy, and because data visualisation is what we do, we decided to pull our findings together into this helpful and aptly named “dark chart”.
Note: The following dashboard is best viewed on desktop.
Just like any other data visualisation dashboard, it’s dynamic and allows you to get a sense of the information at a glance. In this specific instance, you can view the Dark Web information according to different categories broken down into different products.
It's very revealing, isn’t it?
As you can see, you can buy pretty much anything on the Dark Web, from hacked social media and email accounts to crypto wallets, credit card data, malware and even forged passports. While you probably don’t have to worry too much about someone forging your passport, it’s eye-opening to see just how cheaply some of this information can be obtained.
More importantly, though, this chart shows that there are people out there who are willing to pay for your information.
So why are we telling you this?
Because understanding your information’s value helps you protect yourself.
DDoS and ransomware attacks have become increasingly common in recent years and both have the potential to cripple your organisation’s operations and cost you a lot of money.
Of course, every business should strengthen their cybersecurity but it’s also just as important to make sure that anyone who works with or has access to your data is taking every measure they can to protect it.
Yes, these threats are real, however with the right secure data partner (like us at White Box), it’s not a big concern.
As we said, we’re serious about security
At White Box, we believe in upholding the strictest data security measures in order to give our clients total assurance and peace of mind that their data is always in good hands. So, in addition to engaging in regular staff training and following best-practice protocols regarding regular password changes and administrator access, we stay up-to-date with leading security software and anti-malware to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
But our most impactful security measure is our certification in the Defence Industry Security Program, Australia’s leading IT and cyber-security vetting process. This means that when you work with White Box, you know that we are not only trusted but tested on our ability to keep your data secure and protect you from any breaches that could land you under a ‘FOR SALE’ listing on the Dark Web.
Our top security recommendations to protect your data
At White Box, we partner with an industry best practice IT company, Technicalities.
We reached out for their advice on how to protect business data and here is what they recommended:
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on all your accounts (especially your email system)
When implemented correctly, multi-factor authentication can make it significantly more difficult for an adversary to steal legitimate credentials to facilitate further malicious activities on a network
Ensure you implement it on:
Your email accounts
Your accounting platform (MYOB, Xero)
Your bank
Any other critical services
Teach employees not to reuse passwords
Use a password manager to create and store unique passwords for each account.
If an account’s password is compromised, it gives hackers access to all accounts that use the same passwords
Hackers buy and sell big databases of email address and password combinations from websites that have been hacked (e.g. Facebook, Bunnings) and use these credentials login to other accounts where you may have re-used the same password (emails, online banking, etc)
Check if your email address has been listed as being disclosed in a public data breach by going here: https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Educate employees on how to spot phishing emails and implement an advanced spam filter
Phishing emails are the main way hackers get into networks. They can trick users into disclosing credentials or deliver malware that captures credentials.
Advanced spam filters can help identify phishing emails and scan links in emails
Implement the Australian Government Cyber Security “Essential 8” recommendations.
We help you understand your data and take the necessary steps to protect it.
If this all has you worried - it’s okay, we’re here to help. As specialists in data analysis, visualisation and security, we can assist you in unpacking your information in order to know exactly what is in it, how to interpret it and what you need to do to keep it safe.
If you’re wondering how working with White Box can benefit your business, head over to our website and read some of our success stories or get in touch with one of our team members to have a chat and get a free demonstration of the White Box difference.
Get in touch today for your free data strategy consultation.
If you want IT advice, then have a chat with Technicalities (Ph: 1300 131 626).
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