Dark web monitoring services help assess the risks your business may be subject to and take action to safeguard your brand against cyber threats.
These services work to locate threats across all corners of the dark web, including on seemingly innocuous platforms like Telegram. Once the dangers are uncovered, you can engage in risk remediation to reduce your company’s exposure to them while promoting business continuity.
However, to truly reap the benefits of dark web monitoring solutions, you need to find the right partner. Let’s closely examine five of the best dark web monitoring services you can partner with.
Bolster
Bolster offers robust insights and 24/7 dark web monitoring. With these actionable insights, Bolster allows organizations to create meditation workflows such as password reset or cross-team notifications to ensure you reduce further damage. This solution allows you to decrease your risk exposure and protect your brand simultaneously.
Features
Bolster provides users with real-time alerts, detailed assessment reports, and curated internal workflows. The Bolster team also offers guidance and expertise based on established best practices and risk mitigation services, including account takeover protection and phishing protection.
Strengths
Bolster is the most versatile and well-rounded dark web monitoring services provider on our list, with the ability to automate time-consuming security operations monitoring and analytics and internal remediation strategies. As a true all-in-one partner that pairs exceptional software with industry expertise, their leading technology can significantly reduce your business’s exposure to cyber threats, with a proven 278% ROI.
Limitations
It’s important to know that Bolster is not the cheapest option on our list. Be that as it may, the initial investment of partnering with a reputable provider like Bolster will undoubtedly yield a massive return on investment, with better monitoring capabilities, automated security processes, and quick setup and deployment.
What Makes Bolster the Top Solution for Dark Web Monitoring?
Breached data prices are at all-time highs, which means that hackers have plenty of incentive to target brands for their confidential information. With that in mind, it’s essential to partner with an actionable monitoring provider like Bolster, which gives you custom security workflows to help mitigate risks on the dark web.
IntSights
IntSights, part of the Rapid7 family, is a comprehensive dark web monitoring services provider that provides real-time alerts, educational resources, and threat reporting.
Features
IntSights offers a mix of dark web monitoring solutions and tools. It can assist with data leakage protection, monitoring, and threat remediation.
Strengths
IntSights offers several user-friendly automation tools, each of which can streamline dark web monitoring. As a whole, IntSights is also very easy to set up, making it appealing to small to medium-sized businesses that don’t have much in terms of internal IT support.
Limitations
Despite its many features, IntSights users report that the platform offers few customization options, which is particularly concerning for larger organizations that need to be tailored dark web monitoring services. The platform’s data quality has also fluctuated from month to month.
Mandiant
Mandiant, now part of Google Cloud, uses machine learning to rapidly scan the dark web and identify potential organizational threats. The platform offers visibility into intelligence about dangers and leaked credentials or other corporate secrets.
Features
As Mandiant generates alerts through context, it can shed light quickly on both potential and imminent threats, giving you ample opportunity to take action and proactively protect your brand.
Strengths
Mandiant’s greatest strength is its full details of threats. Its ability to rapidly disseminate information about potential threats and its extensive information on the threat actor set it apart from many other dark web monitoring services.
Limitations
According to online reviews, the Mandiant platform offers little customization and is challenging to use. In addition, the monitor lists show missing or false data.
IBM X-Force
IBM X-Force is a threat intelligence sharing platform that leverages artificial intelligence software to help organizations identify dark web risks. IBM X-Force allows users to search for threats on their platform rapidly and also provides a customer care service that assists when threats emerge.
Features
IBM X-Force offers threat visibility and reporting that includes a wide range of tools, each of which addresses a specific set of cybersecurity concerns, including phishing and malware attacks, among several others.
Strengths
IBM X-Force is backed by one of the world’s largest technology firms so users can access round-the-clock support and industry-leading expertise. Additionally, the platform is powered by robust AI technology to provide dynamic insights about your risk levels.
Limitations
IBM X-Force can be costly as it mainly comprises integrated security services, and its implementation process is labor-intensive and time-consuming.
MISP
Unlike its contemporaries on our list, MISP is an open-source dark web monitoring software that enables users to gather and share threat data with other businesses. Organizations can cultivate a comprehensive view of the cyber threat landscape by collaborating with other brands.
Features
MISP is built on a flexible data model that allows its users to assess information regarding a wide range of threats. It is also available at no upfront cost.
Strengths
As an open-source solution, MISP is highly customizable. It also includes many different visualization tools that you can use to tailor reports to meet the unique needs of your business.
Limitations
MISP lacks the sophistication of other options on our list. As a result, some threats may go overlooked, leaving you more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Configuring MISP is also labor-intensive and costly, as you must allocate many IT resources to the project. Additionally, despite its nonexistent upfront cost, you will incur hidden expenses during implementation and configuration.
Dark Web Monitoring Solution FAQs
What Is Dark Web Monitoring?
Dark web monitoring itself refers to scanning the open-source data of the dark web. In contrast, dark web monitoring services refer to the monitoring efforts offered by a third-party entity.
The service provider you choose to partner with will scan the dark web in search of sites or entities that are selling your company’s data, impersonating your brand, or otherwise engaging in any other malicious behavior that could negatively impact your company.
What Are the Most Important Things to Look for in a Dark Web Monitoring Solution?
Many dark web monitoring services are out there, but they are not all created equal. When searching for a solution for your business, make sure that you select an option that offers the following elements:
- Real-time alerts
- Reporting
- Machine learning tools
- Artificial intelligence software
- Threat resolution support
Dark web monitoring solutions that provide all of these benefits at once can significantly reduce your exposure to cyber threats and help you preserve your brand image.
Are There Any Free or Open-Source Tools for Dark Web Monitoring?
Yes, some free and open-source dark web monitoring tools are available, but these solutions typically only address one or two aspects of dark web monitoring. They do not offer comprehensive solutions like an all-in-one dark web monitoring platform would, meaning you’ll need to implement and maintain several free tools to address your monitoring needs together.
Even with a free software approach, it’s very likely that you’ll still have blind spots or other vulnerabilities that go undetected, which is why a paid service is usually the most economical and practical option for businesses.
How Much Do Dark Web Monitoring Services Cost?
Dark web monitoring costs can vary greatly. Some providers offer basic dark web monitoring services free of charge but will require you to upgrade to a paid subscription to access their full range of support and tools.
A few dark web monitoring companies do not disclose their costs, requiring you to call for a custom quote. Practices like these are common, as providers package different monitoring and analysis tools based on your business size and needs.
Is Dark Web Monitoring Platform Worth It for Your Business?
Dark web monitoring solutions have become essential in the modern digital ecosystem. The internet is swarming with threats, so you must proactively protect your brand image and customers. Failing to do so could leave you vulnerable to cyberattacks that could cost your business.
Bolster: The Best Dark Web Monitoring Services
Bolster’s dark web monitoring services provide instant insight into current and potential threats. Our platform is designed to proactively detect leaked data, hacker activity, and other dark web endeavors that pose a risk to your organization, employees, and your customers.
Bolster has created an intuitive and actionable user dashboard to ensure that you can put our data and scanning to good use. At a glance, you can view robust visualizations detailing the dark web activity we’ve uncovered. From there, you can create custom workflows to meet your risk remediation strategy in an automated manner.
If you’d like to learn more, we invite you to schedule a custom demo today.
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