CISO Report: How Enterprises Are Using Dark Web Intelligence

93 Percent of CISOs Are Concerned About Dark Web Threats

Today we have launched our latest report Proactive Defense: How Enterprises Are Using Dark Web Intelligence, which looks at how some of the largest enterprises are gathering data from the dark web and using it to improve their defenses.

To find this out, we commissioned the research company Censuswide to conduct a survey of CISOs working in large enterprises with more than $200 million in revenue and more than 2,000 employees. In total, more than 1,000 CISOs were interviewed across the US and UK.

What we discovered is a clear correlation between the CISOs that are gathering dark web intelligence and a better security posture.

CISOs vs Dark Web Threats

These are some of the key findings of the report:

• Almost all (93 percent) of the CISOs we interviewed are concerned about dark web threats.
• Most of them (79 percent) are taking action by gathering data from the dark web.
• While this number is high, not all enterprises are on the same page. For example, US enterprises are more likely to use dark web data sources (84 percent vs 75 percent in the UK).
• Some industries are also further ahead than others. For example, 85 percent of finance organizations are gathering dark web data, vs 66 percent of oil and gas companies, and only 57 percent of healthcare organizations.
• This has a material impact on security posture. CISOs from enterprises that are gathering dark web data feel more confident they understand the profile of their adversaries and are more likely to have identified an attack before it hits their network.

The Benefits of Gathering Dark Web Intelligence

Our hope is that this research, which demonstrates the positive impact of gathering dark web intelligence, will help CISOs learn from the successes of their peers.

Even among those that are gathering dark web data already, there is more opportunity that can be seized. For example, while 71 percent of CISOs reported a desire to see whether their suppliers are being targeted on the dark web, only 32 percent of those that are gathering dark web data are currently using it to monitor for attacks against their supply chain.

The evidence is compelling: unlocking these data sources can help enterprises to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity.