The Dark Web, a term you’ve likely encountered on TV or the News, refers to Internet locations that are unpublished. By contrast, the World Wide Web (or “Surface Web”) refers to Internet locations which are public, such as www.runwellsolutions.com.
Consider the difference between a landline, which may be published in a phone book, and compare that with a cell phone number, which is typically unpublished. If you don’t know someone’s cell phone number, then they remain anonymous and unreachable.
This is sort of how the Dark Web works. There are entire networks that can’t be found by performing a search on Google. Like a cell phone, if you don’t know how to reach this site, then it remains anonymous and unreachable.
The Dark Web can be used to host, transmit and transact nefarious and illicit activities. The Dark Web is frequently used to share stolen credentials (username / email address and password). This is probably the biggest reason that it’s so important to use unique passwords for each Internet account. If your information is stolen through a breach or by malware, it could end up being shared on the Dark Web.
Once shared, you are at great risk of having your Internet accounts compromised if you re-use passwords for different sites. Moreover, once your email address is posted to the Dark Web, your chances of receiving phishing scams greatly increase.
Do you know if your credentials may have been compromised? Runwell can perform a Dark Web scan and compile a list of stolen credentials. This will alert you to key users who should be on alert for phishing emails and which users should be advised about compromised passwords.