What is Threat Intelligence?
Threat intelligence, or cyber threat intelligence (CTI) refers to the collection, analysis, and dissemination of detailed information about threats targeting organizations. Using threat intelligence, organizations can take a more data-driven approach to managing and preventing risks. The understanding of a threat actor’s behavior, tactics, and techniques that threat intelligence provides enables security teams to better anticipate, prevent, and respond to potential risks, improving their overall cybersecurity posture.
What is Dark Web Threat Intelligence?
Dark web threat intelligence refers to threat intelligence specifically gathered from data sources on the dark web. These sources include dark web forums, illegal marketplaces, and private messaging platforms.
Considered to be a breeding ground for threat actors and cybercrime, the dark web represents a huge concern for enterprises, law enforcement agencies, and governments alike. As such, monitoring the dark web and gathering dark web intelligence has become vital to effectively managing cybersecurity risks.
Threat Intelligence You Can Find on the Dark Web
Various kinds of threat intelligence can be collected from the dark web, including but not limited to:
- Malware and Exploits
Information on malware strains, zero-day exploits, malicious scripts, and hacking tools can be found on the dark web in hacking forums, malware repositories, and various marketplaces. This malware intelligence enables organizations to strengthen their cybersecurity, patch vulnerabilities, and respond to incidents effectively.
- Phishing Campaigns
Combing through phishing forums, hacking communities, and marketplaces on the dark web can yield valuable information about ongoing planned phishing campaigns, as well as any targeted entities. By gaining insights into phishing campaigns, organizations can train employees, configure email filters, and deploy anti-phishing solutions proactively.
- Data Breaches
Hackers and other cybercriminals will often post information about stolen credentials, financial records, PII, and other confidential assets on data leak forums, marketplaces, and private channels. Given their significant financial and legal risks, having the right intelligence on data breaches on the dark web enables organizations to respond promptly, minimizing damage and meeting regulatory reporting obligations.
- Zero-day Vulnerabilities
Having early knowledge of zero-day vulnerabilities allows organizations to understand their potential impact and devise mitigation strategies before public disclosure. Information on these publicly undisclosed vulnerabilities and their exploits can be found on exploit forums, marketplaces, and private chat channels.
- Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)
Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) represent a critical category of dark web intelligence, shedding light on highly sophisticated, often state-sponsored, threat actors who pursue their objectives over extended periods. Discussion or indications of their coordinated attacks can be found in closed hacking forums, private chat channels, and specialized threat actor forums within the dark web, where discussions around ongoing or recent campaigns, tactics, and toolsets occur.
- Cyber Threat Actor Profiles
Understanding the geography, affiliations, goals, targets and other information about threat actors is crucial to building an effective cybersecurity strategy against them. These profiles, often found in hacking forums, closed communities, or marketplaces, reveal the actors' motivations, capabilities, and historical activities.
Challenges in Collecting Dark Web Threat Intelligence
While it’s clear that the dark web is a valuable source of threat intelligence that is vital for any solid cybersecurity strategy, collecting this intelligence comes with its own unique set of challenges. We outline some of these below:
- Anonymity and Evasiveness
The dark web is built to provide anonymity for its users, making it a tough ground to identify and track malicious actors. Additionally, these actors often use evasion techniques to avoid detection, further complicating the collection of reliable threat intelligence.
- Access to Closed Forums and Marketplaces
Many discussions and transactions involving malicious activities happen in closed forums or marketplaces that require invitations or referrals to access. Gaining the trust of these forums can be risky and time-consuming, making it challenging to gather timely and accurate intelligence on emerging threats.
- Short-lived Content
Content on the dark web can disappear quickly as forums change URLs or go offline to avoid law enforcement detection. This transient nature of information requires continuous monitoring to capture valuable threat intelligence before it vanishes. - Technical Expertise
Navigating the dark web and collecting meaningful data requires a high level of technical expertise in cybersecurity and dark web technologies. The unique challenges of the dark web necessitate specialized skills to ensure safe and effective intelligence collection. Furthermore, the evolving tactics and technologies used by dark web actors require continuous learning and adaptation. - Resource Intensiveness
The process of collecting, analyzing, and acting upon threat intelligence from the dark web is resource-intensive, requiring significant time, specialized tools, and human expertise. The demanding nature of these operations can strain organizational resources, making it a challenging endeavor for many organizations.
