The Dark Web and Your Data: How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

In an age where selling personally identifiable information is considered highly lucrative business for cyber criminals, it’s no wonder that identity theft is on the rise.

Online fraudsters employ deceptive tactics in order to gain access to sensitive data belonging to unsuspecting victims, such as credit card details, social security numbers and login details.

This can then be sold on the dark web, a part of the internet not indexed by typical search engines, infamously known for all manner of illicit activities, including the trading of personal data.

What is the Dark Web?

The dark web is a place where most internet users will never visit – and even if they wanted to, many avenues of this off-the-grid environment would be inaccessible without specialised software.

Essentially a hotbed for illegal activity, cyber criminals visit the dark web’s cloaked marketplaces to buy and sell just about anything. And stolen personal data has become a hot commodity to trade.

How Does Your Data End Up There?

Once a cyber criminal has stolen the data, various forms of sensitive information becomes exposed, including names, addresses, social security numbers, credit card numbers, and logins (usernames, email addresses, passwords).

This data could have been pilfered in a number of different ways. For instance, it could have been stolen from a hacked account, collected from a phishing scam, or scraped from a malware-infected device. 

It may have even been stolen from a data breach – events of which are no stranger to cyber security headlines – containing customer details belonging to a retailer or organization.

It’s now possible for identity theft to unfold, which may culminate from dealings on the dark web, for the simple fact that so much personal information has fallen into the wrong hands.

Steps to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

Luckily there are various preventative measures that we can all take to protect ourselves from the threat of identity theft.

1. Use Strong, Unique Passwords Weak passwords are a gift-wrapped present for hackers. So thwart their attempts at access by creating strong (complex), unique passwords. Remember, tools like Total Password can keep track of all your passwords – meaning password amnesia needn’t be a problem!
2. Enable 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) Accounts are stronger with two layers of protection, and so two-factor authentication is a must for bolstering security. With 2FA enabled, hackers won’t be able to simply gain access – even if your password has already been compromised.
3. Monitor Your Bank Accounts Regularly Keeping an eye on your bank and credit card statements allows you to spot suspicious activity that could be a sign of identity theft. You could also consider using a credit-monitoring service to help detect anything unusual.
4. Stay Updated on Data Breaches Subscribing to a service that checks for all known data breaches – from various companies and organizations – you can stay up to speed with any potential leaks of your data. TotalAV allows you to carry out these checks, and also set alerts for specific breaches as they occur.
5. Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) A great way to cloak your web traffic is by encrypting it with a VPN service, such as Total VPN. These services make it much more difficult for lurking, would-be hackers to intercept your personal information as you go about your daily online activities.
6. Be Wary of Phishing Scams Always be on the lookout for phishing scams: deceptive practises used by fraudsters to dupe victims into revealing information via texts and email. Be cautious when confronted by anything that seems off, such as unsolicited emails and strange sender addresses. While vigilance and patience is always an important ally, browser extensions like Total WebShield can work in your corner, alerting you about potentially suspicious content such as bogus websites.
7. Freeze Your Credit If you suspect that you may have become the victim of identity theft, it may be best to consider freezing your credit. Contacting one of the major credit bureaus can help to prevent further financial damage and block fraudsters from opening new accounts in your name.
8. Identity Protection Since the consequences of identity theft could be so potentially devastating, hitting credit scores and savings hard, cyber security providers now offer identity protection services. TotalAV monitors the web for your crucial information around-the-clock, issues alerts, and also provides restoration and financial insurance services to help recover any damage to your credit and finances.

Conclusion

With cyber criminals always on the lookout for their next victim, be it through a scam, data breach or other means, the risk of identity theft through the dark web remains a very real concern in today’s data-driven world.

The safeguarding of our personal information has never been more crucial, and by following the above preventative measures, you can help to minimize the chances of your data being poached and sold through the web’s most illicit of marketplaces.

Industry-leading cyber security tools, along with our very own vigilance and wise online habits, can create a strong shield against identity theft, and therefore vitally, the potentially devastating financial and personal impact of this crime.