Every Fortune 500 company has some level of
exposure on the dark web, with technology and telecommunications firms
ranking at the top of the list, according to a report published by Denver-base OWL Cybersecurity at the end of May, 2017.
The dark web, unlike the surface web — the internet most people know of and
use every day — can’t be indexed using traditional search engines, such
as Google or Bing. The cybersecurity company has built a database
updated with “10 to 15 million pages per day, from more than 24,000
domains on the Tor network alone, as well as other darknet networks.”
With the darknet content indexed and searchable in 47 different
languages, OWL claims their dark web database is the “most comprehensive
one of its kind in the world.”In the study, the OWL picked each
and every company from the 2017 Fortune 500 list and assessed them with
an overall darknet footprint. OWL uses a specific algorithm for the
purpose, rating postings on the dark web based on their potential for
criminal use.
“To compile our Darknet Index, we ran each member of
the 2017 Fortune 500 through the OWL Vision database. We focused on
specific darknets for matches on each company’s website and email
domains and then further adjusted the results based on computations of
‘hackishness,’” the report reads.
When valuable information is
either stolen or hacked, the data is often offered for sale on the dark
web, OWL stated. On dark web marketplaces and forums, criminals exchange
illegal products and data — mostly sourced from hacks and breaches —
for cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin. Therefore, the cybersecurity
company measured the exposure of the Fortune 500 firms by analyzing
their presence on the darknet.According to the researchers, in
some instances, “private data for sale may have come from a breach at a
Fortune 500 company, but it may not be identified as such.” OWL
explained, for example, that multiple instances of credit card
information up for sale on the dark web can come from various sources,
including banks or retailers; however, information on the source of the
compromised data is not always available or provided.
OWL ranked the Fortune 500 companies by their Darknet Index score — calculated by
the cybersecurity firm’s algorithm — and also included the firms’
rankings on the Fortune 500 lists. Ranked by DARKINT (darknet
intelligence), technology companies lead the list, with Amazon holding
the top spot, but with telecommunications firms right alongside it.The
cybersecurity firm pointed out some key takeaways from their analysis.
The researchers emphasized that all Fortune 500 companies have a
presence on the dark web since “every single company in the Fortune 500
had a positive Darknet Index score.” OWL explained Amazon’s top ranking
with the fact that the firm has a “massive internet presence and
possesses a significant amount of customer data.” The researchers
were surprised by the comparatively positive rankings of financial
firms, which are frequent targets of cybercriminals. OWL indicated that
the financial industry’s significant investment in cybersecurity
measures in recent years was the reason for the success. Other sectors
in which the firms invested “heavily” in cybersecurity also had lower
Darknet Index ratings, the researchers added.OWL expects that by
publishing such statistics in their report, they can help companies
improve their cybersecurity.
The cybersecurity firm enables companies
with compromised data to monitor the stolen or hacked information on the
dark web.
“Today, in an age where data loss is virtually
inevitable, it is critical to look at the darknet as a key part of a
complete cybersecurity program, enabling organizations to swiftly detect
security gaps and mitigate damage prior to the misuse of data.”