How much does the "Dark Web" matter?

[FallenHero]

So I recently went to a training (Law Enforcement Related) and one of the instructors was for a state-wide intelligence group. He basically made me want to cancel every single card/membership I have and move into the desert with all the fear mongering he did regarding the "dark web" and various hacker groups. Essentially, Anonymous hacked every single states Law Enforcement Training database and downloaded it immediately after Ferguson. So I know all of my info is out there. That being said, how much of a threat is the dark web to society as a whole? Are generally accepted "Best Practices" by the individual and IT department enough to keep people at bay or is it a losing battle in many cases?

 

[lxskllr]

"Dark web" has a few definitions. Most common, and probably what we're talking about here are anonymous, censhorship resistant network overlays like Tor, i2p, and freenet. These technologies are a benefit to society, and the fact that criminals use them is of no matter. Your leaked database would have been distributed, regardless of the technology used. Best practices are get good IT with a background in security, pay them well, and let them do their job.

 

[blackangst1]

The "dark web", or more properly termed, the deep web, makes up 80+% of the entire internet. Its a huge deal.

 

[Mike64]

He basically made me want to cancel every single card/membership I have and move into the desert with all the fear mongering he did regarding the "dark web" and various hacker groups.

That's why it's called mongering. I'm hardly an off-the-grid type. Off the top of my head, I wouldn't know how to use Tor if my life depended on it. As far as Internet and general information-security/privacy is concerned, I'm far more concerned about being "surveilled" by businesses seeking to monetize me any way they can than I am about government, much less organized hacker, surveillance.

Myself, I quite seriously consider organizations like "state-wide intelligence groups" far more of a threat to society than many, if not in fact most, "hacker" groups (whatever he meant by that.) And I'm especially distrustful of penny-ante crap like "state-wide" intelligence. There's enough sheer paranoia and rank incompetence at the national intelligence level -- most of those lower-level organizations have always struck me as being staffed primarily by yahoo, local law enforcement types (or better yet, local LEO rejects) who got into what they (unfortunately, correctly) perceive(d) as a growth industry after "9/11" and who know just enough, if that much, to be dangerous themselves...

 

[Mushkins]

That's why it's called mongering. I'm hardly an off-the-grid type. Off the top of my head, I wouldn't know how to use Tor if my life depended on it. As far as Internet and general information-security/privacy is concerned, I'm far more concerned about being "surveilled" by businesses seeking to monetize me any way they can than I am about government, much less organized hacker, surveillance.

Myself, I quite seriously consider organizations like "state-wide intelligence groups" far more of a threat to society than many, if not in fact most, "hacker" groups (whatever he meant by that.) And I'm especially distrustful of penny-ante crap like "state-wide" intelligence. There's enough sheer paranoia and rank incompetence at the national intelligence level -- most of those lower-level organizations have always struck me as being staffed primarily by yahoo, local law enforcement types (or better yet, local LEO rejects) who got into what they (unfortunately, correctly) perceive(d) as a growth industry after "9/11" and who know just enough, if that much, to be dangerous themselves...

The difference is you're an average citizen, while the OP *is* in Law Enforcement. Which means his information being leaked to these sketchy groups could have very real consequences. Wannabe hackers, hacktivists, gang members, and organized crime ALL love to specifically target LEOs to stroke their own egos or prove to others in the underground that they've "got what it takes" to be respected by their peers.

He's more at risk for someone specifically targeting him.

That being said, the "Dark Web" is a convenient tool criminals/hackers use to communicate, organize, and ply their trades. They'd still do it without this tool, just like they have since the beginning of time. I wouldn't be any more worried about this kind of targeted anti-LEO attack specifically because of the Dark Web, but it's still something any LEO worries about and rightly so. Yes your information is out there, and yes someone could use it against you, but so could some gang banger looking to make a name for himself who sees you in your uniform walking down the street any day of the week.

 

[Gail@Fortinet]

While the Dark Web is mostly accessed by criminals looking for leaked files and news, illegal substances and illegal files – it is but a fraction of overall web traffic and is accessed by a very small number of people. I recommend checking out this article by Wired that really puts it into perspective: http://www.wired.com/2015/06/dark-web-know-myth/.

That being said, I do recommend safe guarding your computer/company network against cyber hacks and cyber threats by implementing a multilayer protection system that includes a firewall, anti-virus software as well as a detection system. I hope this helps answer your question – let me know if I can help in any other way!