Threats and Attacks

What is the dark web?

The dark web is the part of the internet you can reach only through anonymous networks like Tor. It does not show up in search engines and is built to hide the identity of whoever uses it. It is where stolen corporate credentials, breached data and even ransomware for rent are bought and sold. Technically, it is a small encrypted corner of the deep web.

Zamak TechnologiesUpdated on July 10, 2026

How your company's data ends up on the dark web

The dark web is rarely the start of an attack; it is the market where the attack is prepared. A stolen record usually travels through four stages.

Theft

A credential or a file is captured by an information stealer (infostealer), a phishing attack or a supplier's breach.

Listing

The data is put up for sale on a closed forum or a leak site, cataloged by company and by type of access.

Sale

An access broker sells the credential, often for just a few dollars, or the ready-made entry into the victim's network.

Attack

The buyer uses that access to deploy ransomware, fraud or data theft, now walking in through the front door with a valid credential.

Source: N-able Cyber Encyclopedia and Verizon (DBIR).

What circulates on the dark web

Stolen corporate credentials and passwords
Ready-made access to a company's network, sold by initial access brokers
Customer data, cards and financial information
Ransomware as a service (RaaS), rented to those who cannot code
Data exfiltrated in double extortion attacks, exposed to pressure the victim
Internal documents and intellectual property

How the dark web fuels attacks

Initial access brokers Sell the already-open door into a company's network, sparing whoever runs the scam the work of breaking in.
Ransomware as a service (RaaS) Rents the attack infrastructure to affiliates, multiplying the number of attacks even by criminals with no technical skill.
Leak sites Expose the data stolen in double extortion to force payment, even when the victim can restore from backup.

Why the dark web is a risk to your company

22%

of breaches start with a compromised credential, the No. 1 entry vector (Verizon DBIR 2025)

54%

of ransomware victims already had their domain in infostealer logs before the attack (Verizon DBIR 2025)

1.8B

credentials stolen by information stealers in the first half of 2025 (Flashpoint)

The dark web turns an employee's credential into merchandise. A single leaked password, bought for a few dollars, becomes a legitimate way in, and the attacker no longer has to break into anything. The numbers show the scale: according to Verizon (DBIR 2025), 22% of breaches start with a compromised credential, now the number one entry vector, and 54% of ransomware victims already had their domain listed in infostealer logs before the attack. In the first half of 2025 alone, Flashpoint counted 1.8 billion credentials stolen by these programs. That is why the dark web is not a distant problem: what is sold there is the key to the next attack on your company, and monitoring it is what lets you react before the key is used.

How to reduce your dark web exposure

You do not control the dark web, but you do control how much a leaked credential is worth to an attacker, in the order that reduces risk the most:

A second identity checkWith a second factor beyond the password, a leaked credential on its own stops opening the door.
Unique passwords and a password managerA leaked password cannot open several systems if it was never reused.
Leak and dark web monitoringBeing alerted when company data or credentials appear for sale lets you act before the attack.
Advanced endpoint defenseStops the information stealer that harvests credentials straight from the device.
Training and phishing simulationMost credentials are stolen by phishing, before they ever reach the dark web.
A leak response planChange the exposed password and investigate the reach, as soon as data appears for sale.

In practice

You cannot pull a record off the dark web once it has been sold. What you control is its value: with a second identity check, a leaked password on its own no longer opens the door.

How Zamak handles the dark web

Zamak Technologies watches your company's exposure beyond the perimeter, on the Anticipate front, with threat intelligence that tracks leaks and credentials for sale, and reduces the value of a stolen credential with managed Cybersecurity across identity and endpoint. A good starting point is the email spoofing check, which shows in minutes whether your domain could already be used against you.

Frequently asked questions about the dark web

What is the difference between the deep web and the dark web?

The deep web is everything that does not show up in search engines because it sits behind a login or a barrier, like your email or your online banking: vast and mostly legitimate. The dark web is a small anonymous corner, reachable only through tools like Tor, where illegal marketplaces concentrate. All of the dark web is deep web, but the deep web is not dark web.

Is it illegal to access the dark web?

In most countries, using the Tor network itself is not illegal; what is illegal are the crimes committed on it, like buying stolen data or drugs. For a company, the point is not accessing it, but knowing whether its data is being sold there.

How do I know if my company's data is on the dark web?

Through dark web monitoring: a service that watches forums and leak sites for the company's domain, emails and credentials, and alerts you when something appears for sale.

What do I do if a company credential has leaked?

Act fast: change the exposed password, turn on a second identity check if there isn't one, and check whether the same password was reused on other systems. Then investigate how it leaked.

Does antivirus protect against the dark web?

The dark web is not a virus, so antivirus is not the answer. The risk is the stolen credential sold there; the defense is a second identity check, leak monitoring and stopping the program that steals the passwords.

Do only large companies appear on the dark web?

No. Credentials from small and medium-sized companies are traded too, often precisely because they have less protection. For the criminal, what matters is the access, not the size of the victim.