Key takeaways:
- Network Solutions has launched Dark Web Monitoring to help businesses identify exposed business data and credentials sooner.
- The service provides continuous monitoring, real-time alerts, historical exposure tracking, a Threat Score, and recommended steps when exposure is found.
- Dark Web Monitoring is available as a security upgrade for domains registered with Network Solutions and must be purchased in the same account as the domain.
Network Solutions has launched Dark Web Monitoring, a new security upgrade that helps businesses spot exposed data sooner.
When business information like an email address or password is exposed, the risk can extend beyond your website to your email, social accounts, online services, and even customer relationships.
That’s why knowing what business information has been exposed and continuing to watch for new exposure matters. It gives you a better chance to respond early and limit how far the impact can spread.
What is Dark Web Monitoring?
Dark Web Monitoring is a security service that continuously checks your monitored domain and email addresses against known breach and dark web data. It looks for signs that your business data has been exposed and alerts you when something new is found.
Your dashboard brings those findings together and gives you an overview of detected breach events, your Threat Score, and the types of data affected.
With Dark Web Monitoring, you can:
- Get alerted to new exposure: Receive real-time alerts when new breach activity is detected
- See what types of data are affected: Review categories such as email addresses, passwords, usernames, or phone numbers
- Track exposure over time: Review previous breach events involving your monitored domain and email addresses
- Dig into individual breaches: Open a finding to review available details and recommended next steps
You won’t see full passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information in the dashboard. Instead, it identifies the types of data associated with an exposure without displaying the underlying sensitive information.
The Threat Score reflects the number and severity of the breaches found. A higher score indicates greater potential risk.
The dark web and where exposed data come from
The dark web refers to parts of the internet that aren’t indexed by search engines and may require specialized software to access.
Not everything there is illegal, but stolen emails, passwords, payment details, and other sensitive data can be shared, sold, or traded there.
And the source of exposed data may be somewhere other than your website. A third-party service may suffer a data breach, a phishing attack may expose login details, or an old account may leave credentials circulating years after the original incident.
So, if Dark Web Monitoring finds a match, it doesn’t automatically mean your website or Network Solutions account was hacked. It means information connected to your monitored domain or email has appeared in known breach data.
Know what to do when exposure is found
From the Dark Web Monitoring dashboard, select “View All” to open your Breach Alerts. This page lists the individual breach matches found for your monitored domain and email addresses, so you can review each one in more detail.
Each alert can show the service involved, the monitored email or site associated with the match, a summary of the breach, an Estimated Risk score, the types of data involved, and recommended actions.
For example, the alert above shows how an individual breach match may appear in the dashboard. It can provide a summary of the exposure, an Estimated Risk score, the types of data involved, and recommended actions based on the available breach data.
Depending on what was found, recommended actions may include:
- Change affected passwords and replace any passwords you’ve reused elsewhere
- Turn on multi-factor authentication for affected accounts
- Review account activity for unfamiliar logins or other unusual behavior
- Monitor financial accounts for suspicious activity when financial information may be involved
- Watch for phishing or impersonation attempts that could use exposed business details
The details and recommended actions will vary by breach. Any password changes, security updates, or account reviews would need to be completed through the affected service or account.
Dark Web Monitoring can’t remove leaked data from the dark web or fix the breach that exposed it. It helps you understand what was found, decide what needs attention, and continue monitoring for new exposure.
No breaches found? Keep monitoring
Finding no known breaches is good news, but a breach check is only a snapshot of what has been found at that point in time. New breaches are discovered over time, and previously exposed data may surface later.
Dark Web Monitoring keeps checking after you activate it. If new exposure involving your monitored domain or email addresses is found, you’ll get an alert, so you can review what changed and decide what to do next.
Getting started with Dark Web Monitoring
Dark Web Monitoring is available for eligible domains registered with Network Solutions. You can add it during checkout, whether you’re a new or existing customer, or get it through your Account Manager if you already have an eligible domain. The domain must be in the same account where Dark Web Monitoring is purchased.
When you activate the service, the selected domain and the primary email address listed as your account contact information are added for monitoring.
You can access the dashboard within your Network Solutions account manager to review monitoring results, breach details, and new alerts.
Don’t let exposed data go unnoticed
Stay alert to breach exposure involving your domain and email, review new findings, and act before the risk goes further.
Keep watch over your business data
Dark Web Monitoring helps you monitor business data that may already be outside the systems you control. If something appears in known breach data, you can find out sooner, see what was exposed, and take steps to reduce the risk.
For broader protection, Network Solutions also offers SSL certificates, domain privacy, and website security tools to help secure your site, domain, and customer data. Dark Web Monitoring complements these protections by helping you monitor exposures that may have already happened beyond your website.
Get Dark Web Monitoring from Network Solutions and start keeping watch for exposed business data.
