# The Double-Edged Sword of Dark Web Monitoring: Weighing Costs and Benefits for Enterprise Cybersecurity

As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve and become more sophisticated, enterprise security teams are facing an increasingly complex landscape. One strategy that has gained popularity in recent years is dark web monitoring, a practice that involves scouring the dark web for potential threats to corporate data and systems. But is this approach worth it? In this article, we'll delve into the benefits and limitations of dark web monitoring, exploring its costs, risks, and value proposition for enterprises.

Dark web monitoring can provide valuable insights into potential attacks before they occur, allowing organizations to implement proactive defense measures. By analyzing threat actor behavior, security teams can identify vulnerabilities in their systems and users, enabling them to take targeted action to prevent breaches. For example, a company that discovers an infostealer has been installed on a user's office computer through dark web monitoring can respond quickly by creating a honeypot to catch the malicious hacker or reimaging the computer to tighten configurations.

However, there are significant limitations to dark web monitoring. The practice can only uncover information that threat actors post online, meaning that privately resolved attacks may go undetected. Additionally, with so many dark web sites emerging all the time, it's challenging for organizations to identify and monitor them effectively. This can lead to missed opportunities for proactive defense.

In-house dark web monitoring can be a daunting task, requiring significant resources, expertise, and specialized tools like Maltego or Spiderfoot. Staff must also develop skills using open-source tools such as TorBot or OnionScan to scan and alert on dark web activity. Furthermore, programming automated scans and integrating the threat intelligence stack with other cybersecurity platforms is a complex undertaking.

A more practical approach is to enlist a third-party threat intelligence service that offers dark web monitoring. While this option comes with its own costs and caveats, it reduces the risks associated with gathering firsthand threat intelligence in extralegal spaces. Using a third party insulates the enterprise from exposure and conserves cybersecurity staff time.

For smaller organizations, dark web monitoring may not be worth the investment. The benefits don't outweigh the costs and risks, whether engaging a third-party service or going it alone. However, larger organizations with high profiles may find that this approach provides significant value. In such cases, using a third-party service makes more sense, as it conserves resources and reduces the risk of attracting unwanted attention.

So, what should security teams monitor on the dark web? The answer lies in identifying suspicious activity, such as stolen credentials, infostealers, or brazenly public sites like exploit(dot)in. Forums on Telegram and other secure messaging platforms are also becoming increasingly popular for selling stolen data and credentials. By staying vigilant and monitoring these areas, security teams can gain valuable insights into potential threats before they materialize.

In conclusion, dark web monitoring is a complex and multifaceted practice that requires careful consideration of its costs, benefits, and risks. While it can provide significant value to larger organizations with high profiles, smaller enterprises may find it too costly or impractical. By weighing these factors and understanding what information to monitor and where to look, security teams can make informed decisions about whether dark web monitoring is worth it for their organization.

### Key Takeaways:

* Dark web monitoring can provide valuable insights into potential attacks before they occur. * The practice has significant limitations, including only uncovering publicly posted information. * In-house dark web monitoring requires significant resources and expertise. * Third-party threat intelligence services offer a more practical approach to dark web monitoring.

### Relevant Resources:

* [Maltego](https://www.maltego.com/) * [Spiderfoot](https://www.spiderfoot.io/) * [TorBot](https://torbot.readthedocs.io/en/latest/) * [OnionScan](https://onionscan.readthedocs.io/en/latest/)