Contact us today!
866-348-2602

Total Tech Care Blog

Total Tech Care has been serving Florida since 2001, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

How Big of a Threat is the Dark Web Gig Economy?

How Big of a Threat is the Dark Web Gig Economy?

Contemporary movies are filled with high-stakes cybercrime, where a lovable criminal syndicate breaks into a company’s systems to help wreak havoc on the true villains of the film, all the while exposing the company’s dirty laundry. Naturally, this idea can be frightening for any business, whether or not they have any dirty laundry to air out—after all, nobody wants a ruined reputation—and is unfortunately less and less of a fantasy all the time.

This is directly due to the idea of a hacking gig economy, and how the Dark Web can be used to support it.

What is a Gig Economy?

Before we get too far into the weeds as we discuss the Dark Web, let’s make sure we’re on the same page in terms of the “gig economy.” The gig economy basically describes the prevalence of people working in part-time positions on a temporary basis or as independent contractors, either as a means of supplementing their existing income or as their primary source of it. This environment has been supported in its growth by the capabilities of the Internet—particularly within the younger generations in urban areas.

This new economy has proved beneficial for both the members of the workforce that are a part of it, and the businesses that enlist their services. These businesses have a much larger pool of resources to draw upon without the long-term commitment of a full-time hire, while workers can more easily supplement their increasingly flexible lifestyle with this kind of work.

Of course, a lot of drawbacks have come with this new method of work as well, but that’s something we’ll have to get into later. For now, we just need to focus on the idea that more people are seeking out work opportunities in a less traditional format (as well as businesses increasingly seeking out people to fill these temporary roles) and are using the Internet as a means of doing so.

Unfortunately, this trend also includes cybercriminals, and those businesses who want to take advantage of their illicit services. These parties accomplish this by taking their intentions to the Dark Web.

Understanding the Dark Web

Admittedly, the term “Dark Web” may not be familiar to everyone, so it may be helpful to look at how the Internet is functionally constructed. The Internet of today is made up of three distinct parts:

  1. The Surface Web: The Surface Web is the part of the Internet that most people are familiar with and associate with the Internet in general. Composed of all websites and pages that have been indexed by a search engine (and can therefore be found through these search engines), the surface web is anything that is openly accessible via the Internet.
  2. The Deep Web: The Deep Web includes all the pages that require a login or payment before they can be accessed, along with a user’s data on a website or platform. This data is not indexed, meaning that search engines cannot crawl or index it. This is what makes up most of the Internet today.
  3. The Dark Web: The Dark Web is the portion of the Internet that is inaccessible to a typical browser, only available via the Tor browser. As such, activity here cannot be traced or tracked, making the experience anonymous—and therefore, ideal for cybercriminal activity (amongst many other uses, of course). Due to its anonymity, the Dark Web operates on secrecy and cryptocurrency.

This last point is what allows the Dark Web to give cybercriminals the utility that it does as a means of selling their services to those seeking it out. By anonymizing all browsing and even hiding payments behind the encryption of cryptocurrencies, the Dark Web gives this illicit economy the perfect environment in which to thrive.

Let’s explore how such a transaction could take shape:

Examining a Dark Web Gig

Let’s assume for a moment that you have a serious enemy, whether it's one of your competitors, an old employee who left on bad terms, or a former client with a serious grudge. What can this enemy of yours do?

If they have the knowledge of how to do so, someone seeking to hurt your company could access the Dark Web and seek out a hacker’s services on one of the many forums that the Dark Web hosts, offering some financial payout in exchange for your website being taken down. Maybe they’d offer a thousand dollars or so, and a hacker with some time could take them up on that offer.

This isn’t a hypothetical situation—Dark Web forums have seen more than eight million users send over 80 million messages seeking out the services of a hacker, with hackers using the forums to promote their own services. Generally speaking, these posts break down as follows:

  • 90 percent of these posts are from those seeking out hacking and cyberattack services
  • 7 percent of these posts are from hackers seeking out jobs
  • 2 percent of these posts are meant to encourage the sale of hacking tools
  • 1 percent of these posts are to encourage people to network with each other

As you might imagine, the number of people actively using these platforms leads to many very specific services available.

The Value of Data on the Dark Web

Of course, we should discuss how much a cybercriminal could potentially make, if only selling data that they have stolen. After hacking a database, a hacker could potentially sell its contents for $20,000—about a rate of $50 for about 1,000 entries.

The Risk This Presents to Your Business

Small-to-medium-sized businesses are under a somewhat ambiguous level of threat from the Dark Web, specifically where data theft and distribution are concerned. To many, the Dark Web remains a sort of computer horror story.

However, as the Dark Web comes more into the public consciousness, its already-considerable risks will only grow… and again, it isn’t as though it isn’t already being used to distribute stolen data, be it sensitive information or access credentials or what have you. There’s a non-zero chance that some of your data is already put up for sale on some Dark Web site.

To minimize this risk moving forward, there are a few safeguards that you need to adopt as a standard procedure:

Security

If there’s a way that someone can use some vulnerability to access a business’ resources, whether they’re hosted online or on your network, they will. Ensuring that everything is reinforced against these threats will help to minimize the chance of their success.

Team Awareness

A big part of avoiding phishing is for your team to be able to see it coming. Training your team members to identify and properly mitigate the threats that they will face—and they will face them at some point—will be crucial to protecting your business.

Due Diligence

Finally, all the best practices that you expect your team to uphold all must remain in play, as hackers actively seek out companies with lacking security to target. Don’t give them the opportunity.

Total Tech Care is here to help. Reach out to us at 866-348-2602 to learn more.

 

Comments

No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment
Already Registered? Login Here
Guest
Wednesday, 02 April 2025
If you'd like to register, please fill in the username, password and name fields.

Blog Archive

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

  • First Name *
  • Last Name *

      Free Consultation

      Sign up today for a
      FREE Network Consultation

      How secure is your IT infrastructure?
      Let us evaluate it for free!

      Sign up Now!

      Free Consultation
       

      Tag Cloud

      Security Tip of the Week Technology Best Practices Business Computing Cloud Privacy Hackers Productivity Hosted Solutions Efficiency Software Network Security Business Google Microsoft Internet Email Malware Workplace Tips Backup Innovation Data User Tips Computer Mobile Devices Hardware IT Services Android VoIP Disaster Recovery communications IT Support Smartphones Communication Business Continuity Miscellaneous Smartphone Mobile Device Browser Small Business Network Collaboration Productivity Quick Tips Cybersecurity Users Business Management Upgrade Windows Phishing Managed IT Services Outsourced IT Ransomware Data Backup Windows 10 Server Save Money Cloud Computing Data Recovery Office Passwords Windows 10 Chrome Virtualization Tech Term Social Media Saving Money Holiday Gadgets Microsoft Office Managed Service Automation Managed IT Services Artificial Intelligence Operating System Computers Facebook Cybercrime IT Support Wi-Fi Hacking BYOD Internet of Things Mobile Device Management Health Networking Remote Managed Service Provider Spam Office 365 Covid-19 Information Telephone Systems Information Technology Alert Social Engineering Mobility Router BDR Recovery Employer-Employee Relationship Bandwidth Password Big Data Remote Monitoring Money Encryption Applications App History Data Breach Mobile Computing Law Enforcement Application Human Resources Managed IT Remote Computing Mobile Office Apps Data Storage Blockchain Patch Management Paperless Office Office Tips Training Government VPN Private Cloud How To Bring Your Own Device Mouse Data Management HaaS Work/Life Balance Vulnerability Windows 7 Word Flexibility Google Drive Marketing Wireless WiFi Servers Infrastructure IT solutions Voice over Internet Protocol Entertainment Avoiding Downtime Website Gmail Budget Settings Data Security Two-factor Authentication Apple Social Cleaning User Error Meetings Vendor Conferencing Managed Services End of Support Telephone System Staff Software as a Service Display Education Physical Security Scam Machine Learning Risk Management Safety Connectivity Remote Work Hacker Sports HIPAA Redundancy Employee/Employer Relationship RMM The Internet of Things Vendor Management Keyboard Lithium-ion battery USB Firewall Data Protection Save Time Virtual Reality Workplace Strategy Data storage Comparison Net Neutrality Electronic Medical Records Automobile Spam Blocking Network Congestion CES Help Desk eWaste Printing Hiring/Firing Computing Infrastructure Business Technology Content Management Going Green Access Control Managed Services Provider Virtual Assistant Wearable Technology Battery Authentication Database Hard Drives Shadow IT Retail Legal Business Intelligence Remote Workers Virus Instant Messaging Robot Excel Processor Unified Threat Management Internet Exlporer Worker Audit IT Management Computer Accessories Biometrics Update Virtual Desktop Hard Drive Botnet PDF IT Plan Google Docs DDoS Identity Theft Proactive IT SharePoint Unsupported Software Computing Printer Best Practice Bluetooth YouTube Charger Augmented Reality Black Market Compliance Customer Service Fraud OneNote Environment Computer Care Remote Worker Current Events Digital Signage IT Consultant Document Management Telephony Fax Server Solid State Drive Wireless Technology Samsung Cryptocurrency How to Downtime SaaS Humor Procurement Value GDPR Outlook Hosted Computing Social Network Leadership Troubleshooting Uninterrupted Power Supply IaaS Start Menu Wireless Internet Maintenance Colocation Online Shopping Investment Consultant Screen Mirroring Employee/Employer Relationships Bloatware Loyalty File Sharing Employees Camera Windows 365 Frequently Asked Questions Inventory Analytics Monitor Specifications ISP Books Tablets Mobile Wire Video Conferencing Windows 10s Evernote ROI Sales Best Available Cast Bitcoin Entrepreneur Travel Shortcuts Printers Point of Sale WIndows 7 Tip of the week Personal Reputation webinar Millennials Cryptomining Streaming Media Emergency Wireless Charging Tech Support Employer Employee Relationship Content Professional Services Smart Office Supply Chain Management Shortcut Public Cloud Monitoring Techology Batteries Cost Management Laptop Assessment Virtual Private Network Windows 8.1 Windows Server 2008 Digitize Social Networking Customers Workforce Cables Windows Server 2008 R2 Audiobook Tools Customer relationships Touchpad Television Project Management Email Best Practices User Running Cable Nanotechnology IT Assessment PowerPoint Telecommuting Manufacturing Windows Media Player Cortana Memory Politics Advertising Computer Tips Digital Signature Managed IT Service Public Computer Security Cameras Warranty Virtual CIO Managing Stress Regulations OneDrive Biometric Security Notifications Transportation Google Apps Rootkit HVAC Peripheral Computer Fan Digital Security Cameras Analysis Using Data Cameras Administrator Devices Copiers Relocation Workers 5G Science Benefits FENG Enterprise Content Management Quick Tip MSP Ergonomics Video Games Accountants IBM Smartwatch Smart Technology Microchip Distributed Denial of Service Worker Commute Flash Thought Leadership Development Customer Relationship Management Credit Cards OLED Password Manager Virtual Machine Analyitcs Experience Password Management PCI DSS 2FA Scalability Software Tips Fiber Optics Printer Server Programming Supercomputer Multi-Factor Security Employee Search Engine Business Owner Sync Twitter Messaging Emails Cabling Business Mangement Hypervisor NarrowBand NIST Policy Dark mode Antivirus Search Smart Tech Trend Micro Trending Two Factor Authentication Addiction SMS iPhone Netflix Amazon Default App Windows 8 Root Cause Analysis Recycling Saving Time Procedure IT service Wiring dark theme HBO Practices Shopping Knowledge Google Search Music Skype Cache AI Files Amazon Web Services IT Infrastructure Tablet Domains Data loss Criminal Chromecast Bing Safe Mode FinTech

      Top Blog

      The reasoning for this is simple: you want to make sure that operations are proceeding as intended, even if you’re not there. If you completely check out from the workplace every time you leave, you could return from your vacation to a complete and total disaster that may have been prevented with y...
      QR-Code