The Evolution of the Dark Web as a Cybersecurity Threat and Mitigation Strategies

The dark web has transformed into a clandestine marketplace, fostering illicit activities under the veil of anonymity. Its restricted accessibility and decentralized structure have created an environment conducive to cybercrime, particularly in the form of malicious activities. The Internet of Things (IoT), characterized by its interconnectedness and vulnerabilities, has emerged as a prime target for cybercriminals operating within the dark web. A compromised IoT device can compromise the entire network’s security, resulting in substantial financial repercussions. These include ransom demands, regulatory fines, loss of reputation, and remediation costs.

Given their interconnected nature and vulnerabilities, IoT devices serve as attractive entry points for cybercriminals. They often represent a single point of vulnerability that can impact numerous victims simultaneously.

Check Point Research has documented a substantial surge in cyberattacks targeting IoT devices, observed across all regions and sectors. Notably, Europe experiences the highest number of incidents per week, with an average of nearly 70 IoT attacks per organization.

The dark web serves as a gateway to these cyberattacks, facilitated by various means. Research from PSACertified reveals that the average cost of a successful attack on an IoT device exceeds $330,000. Forrester’s report further underscores the financial impact, indicating that 34% of enterprises that experienced breaches via IoT devices incurred higher cumulative breach costs compared to cyberattacks on non-IoT devices, ranging between $5 million and $10 million.

By exploiting security vulnerabilities, malicious actors gain unauthorized access to devices, networks, and sensitive data, enabling them to launch various attacks. Other examples include utilizing compromised IoT devices for botnet infections, turning them into zombies to participate in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, ransomware and propagation attacks, as well as crypto-mining and exploitation of IoT devices as proxies for the dark web.

The dark web relies on an arsenal of tools and associated services to facilitate illicit activities. Kaspersky research revealed a thriving underground economy operating within the dark web centered around services associated with IoT. In particular, there seems to be a substantial demand for DDoS attacks orchestrated through IoT botnets: During the first half of 2023, Kaspersky identified over 700 advertisements for DDoS attack services across various dark web forums.

IoT devices have become valuable assets in this underworld marketplace; on the dark web, the value of a compromised device is often greater than the retail price of the device itself. Examining one of the numerous Telegram channels used for trading dark web products and services reveals scam pages, tutorials covering various malicious activities, harmful configuration files with “how-to’s,” SSH crackers, and more. Essentially, a comprehensive assortment of tools, from hacking resources to anonymization services, can be found for the purpose of exploiting compromised devices. Furthermore, substantial amounts of sensitive data are bought and sold.

Artificial Intelligence’s Dark Capabilities

Adversarial machine learning can be employed to attack, deceive, and bypass machine learning systems. The integration of IoT and AI has propelled dark web-originated attacks to unprecedented levels, including:

Automated Exploitation: AI algorithms automate the process of scanning for vulnerabilities and security flaws, followed by subsequent exploitation methods. This enables large-scale attacks with minimal human intervention.

• Adaptive Attacks: With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), attackers now possess the capability to dynamically adjust their strategies in real-time. By analyzing the responses and defenses encountered during an attack, AI enables attackers to evade traditional security measures designed to detect and mitigate Internet of Things (IoT) hacks and attacks.

• Behavioral Analysis: AI-driven analytics empowers organizations to scrutinize IoT devices and user behavior, identifying patterns, anomalies, and vulnerabilities. Malicious actors exploit this capability to profile IoT devices, exploit their weaknesses, and circumvent detection from security systems.

• Adversarial Attacks: Adversarial attacks aim to manipulate AI models and IoT devices into making erroneous or unintended decisions. These attacks exploit vulnerabilities in the system’s algorithms or underlying weaknesses.

Zero-Tolerance Security: 

The convergence of Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents both opportunities and challenges. To fortify IoT security and enhance device resilience, organizations must adopt a zero-tolerance security approach across the entire IoT supply chain.

Factors such as data security, device security, secure communication, confidentiality, privacy, and other non-functional requirements like maintainability, reliability, usability, and scalability underscore the paramount importance of security controls in IoT devices. These controls should encompass elements such as secure communication, access controls, encryption, software patches, device hardening, and more. As part of the security process, organizations should prioritize industry standards such as “secure by design” and “secure by default.” Additionally, it is crucial to monitor the frequency and regional distribution of IoT attacks, as represented by the average number of attacks per organization, broken down by region every week.

Collaborations and alliances within the industry are crucial in developing standardized IoT security practices and establishing industry-wide security standards. By integrating dedicated IoT security, organizations can enhance their overall value proposition and ensure compliance with regulatory obligations.

In today’s landscape, numerous regions demand adherence to stringent security standards, both during product sales and while responding to Request for Information and Request for Proposal solicitations. IoT manufacturers with robust, ideally on-device security capabilities can demonstrate a distinct advantage, setting them apart from their competitors. Furthermore, incorporating dedicated IoT security controls enables seamless, scalable, and efficient operations, reducing the need for emergency software updates.