Key Takeaways:

• The deep web is private and routine; the dark web is anonymous and concealed. The deep web makes up the vast majority of the internet, consisting of non-indexed, password-protected content (like banking or subscriptions). The dark web is a small, intentionally hidden subset of the deep web that requires specialized software (like Tor) and is primarily associated with illicit activity.
• The dark web is the final destination for major cyber risks. Top threats include the sale of stolen credentials, remote access from Initial Access Brokers (IABs), and discussions around brand and executive impersonation.
• Dark web monitoring is a non-negotiable best practice. Due to the scale and anonymity of the dark web, security teams must use automated threat intelligence platforms to safely and continuously harvest, filter, and prioritize intelligence to minimize organizational risk.

Introduction

There are three distinct parts of the internet; most people only utilize two. You have the surface web (or open web) where webpages can be indexed by search engines, which represents only about 4-10% of the total internet. Then you have the deep web: all of the pages that are non-indexable and that typically require a login, like banking pages, internal databases, and subscriptions. This encompasses the majority of the internet. Finally, you have the dark web—a small, intentionally hidden subset of the deep web requiring specific software (like the Tor browser) to access.

In other words, the dark web is anonymous and built for concealment, while the deep web is private, but used for routine activity.

Think of the internet as an iceberg. The open web is what anyone can see, the deep web is below the surface, and the dark web is at the very bottom, where little light is available, and dangerous things lurk.

From Routine to Malicious: Deep Web vs. Dark Web

While “deep” and “dark” have similar associations, the difference between the deep web and dark web is stark.

The deep web, while in some ways gated, is routine and secure. Within the deep web, you have online banking and financial portals, corporate intranets and internal knowledge bases, and paywalled content like Netflix, Hulu, or Spotify.

The dark web, on the other hand, is designed for true anonymity. That doesn’t mean every interaction on the dark web is malicious. There are legitimate uses where anonymity is necessary, such as communication for journalists, political dissidents, and whistleblowers. Without the anonymity provided by the dark web, many may not feel secure enough to engage in free speech.

However, this true anonymity also provides a place ripe for malicious intent. Illicit marketplaces for drugs or weapons, the sharing and sale of stolen financial data, trading of compromised credentials, malware development forums, ransomware planning, and more take place in the dark web. This subsection of the dark web is the primary focus for cybersecurity.

The Critical Risk: Why Dark Web Monitoring is Non-Negotiable

How does the dark web fit into proactive threat intelligence? It acts as the final destination for most cybersecurity attacks. With hundreds of marketplaces and forums, cybersecurity teams struggle with monitoring threats emanating from the dark web on their own, but can’t afford to overlook the potential risks.

Top Risks Originating from the Dark Web

The dark web is known for:

• Credential Exposure: Stolen login information is sold in bulk, leading to complete account takeover.
• Initial Access Brokers: Remote access to compromised corporate networks is sold by Initial Access Brokers (IABs).
• Brand and Executive Impersonation: Phishing campaigns and attacks targeting an organization’s key personnel are discussed amongst threat actors.

Meeting Regulatory Expectations Through Dark Web Monitoring

While no regulations explicitly mandate dark web monitoring, several compliance frameworks create practical requirements that make it essential for demonstrating adequate security controls. Organizations subject to GDPR must implement appropriate technical measures to ensure data security, while HIPAA requires timely breach detection and notification for exposed health information. PCI DSS demands continuous monitoring and vulnerability management for payment data, and the SEC's 2023 cybersecurity disclosure rules require public companies to detect and report material incidents within four business days.

Dark web monitoring helps organizations meet these obligations by providing early breach detection, supporting risk assessment requirements, and demonstrating the proactive security posture that auditors and regulators expect. For industries like healthcare, finance, and federal contracting, dark web intelligence isn't just a best practice but a critical component of regulatory compliance and due diligence.

Gaining Actionable Visibility with Threat Intelligence Software

Threat intelligence platforms enable cybersecurity teams to cut through the noise and pinpoint their true risk signals from the dark web and beyond. Through automated collection at scale, dedicated infrastructure safely and continuously harvests intelligence from not just the dark web—but from the deep web and other criminal underground sources as well.

Raw data is worthless. You need context and prioritization to make sense of the information coming through. Threat intelligence software applies machine learning to filter, translate, and prioritize mentions of an organization’s specific digital footprint such as brands, IP, executives, and vulnerabilities.

Key Security Outcomes from Dark Web Threat Intelligence

1. Digital Risk Protection: Threat intelligence software proactively searches for and identifies leaked employee or customer data before it’s weaponized.
2. Vulnerability Management: Identifying which vulnerabilities are being actively discussed and exploited on the dark web enables you to prioritize patching.
3. SecOps Enrichment: This threat intelligence provides high-confidence, real-time intelligence to inform your SIEM/SOAR systems.

Best Practices for Minimizing Organizational Risk from the Dark Web

There are other, more tactical ways to minimize the risk to your organization. These are typically your standard cybersecurity best practices: enforcing multifactor authentication (MFA) universally to mitigate any compromised credentials that have been shared on the dark web, or running continuous employee security awareness training and testing on phishing and credential theft. Outside of those steps, it’s important to implement dark web monitoring as a core component of your threat intelligence program.

To see how Recorded Future can help implement or optimize your dark web monitoring, visit our Demo Center or schedule a demo with the team.