It’s one thing to understand how crucial dark web threat intelligence is to robust cybersecurity. It is an entirely different matter to prioritize it. But such is often the case when organizations are working with limited resources. They would like to make dark web threat intelligence a top priority, but they cannot see a way to make it reality.
The fascinating thing about priorities is that there is always a way to invest in what is most important. Sometimes that way is elusive; you need to hunt and dig around until you find it. Likewise, the means through which dark web threat intelligence could be prioritized might not be readily apparent. But dig around and you just might find it.
Start With the Basics
DarkOwl is a dark web threat intelligence specialist. They recommend starting with the basics when resources are limited. Organizations can begin by monitoring the dark web for leaked credentials and other critical data. Examples include:
- Business emails
- Administrator logins
- Customer PII
- Financial data
It turns out that these types of datasets represent the highest-impact threats for most small organizations. Finding compromised data lets an organization know that it could very well be a target. Then, steps can be taken to avoid potential threats.
Invest in Automated Alerts
Another thing organizations can do is invest in automated alerts. Both free and low-cost monitoring tools constantly remain on the lookout for specified data – like a company’s name, domain, and business info – on both the traditional and dark webs. Any discovered information triggers an automatic alert, thereby warning the security team to pay attention.
Integrate With Incident Response
Regardless of an organization’s other security strategies, dark web threat intelligence shouldn’t act as a standalone tool. It is most effective when it is integrated with everything else an organization is doing, particularly incident response.
Dark web threat intelligence is most beneficial when it is part of a broad response strategy. Put another way, the information gleaned through dark web monitoring can and should be used to identify and respond to threats. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Practical Tips for Prioritizing Intelligence
Taking full advantage of dark web threat intelligence is not necessarily easy in the early stages. It can be somewhat challenging to security teams who are using threat intelligence for the first time. Here are some practical tips:
- Tools and Licenses – Initial threat intelligence investments should be in open-source tools and entry-level licenses that focus on core risks. Hold off on the premium add-ons until the security team has a handle on how it will use intelligence data.
- Leverage Automation – Automation is truly revolutionizing both threat intelligence and incident response. Any organization wanting to prioritize dark web threat intelligence should utilize automation at every opportunity.
- Review and Act – Intelligence becomes more valuable when security teams review and act on it regularly. Every review adds more data to the equation. Every response teaches security teams something new.
- Expansion – Organizations should be prepared to expand intelligence gathering and incident response as resources allow. Dark web threat intelligence feeds itself, so expansion makes it even more valuable.
- Adjust Continually – Threat intelligence data is constantly evolving. Therefore, monitoring parameters and response protocols should be continually adjusted to keep pace with an organization’s current risk exposure.
Dark web threat intelligence is an effective cybersecurity tool even when resources are limited. It is simply a matter of making it a priority. Fortunately, organizations with limited resources can get started with a minimal investment. Every organization should, as intelligence is the key to fighting threat actors and stopping their attacks.