New DarkOwl Report Reveals Increased Darknet Exposure of Fortune 500

DarkOwl, the cybersecurity company offering the world’s largest commercially available database of darknet data, today announced the release of the Darknet Index: 2018 Fortune 500 Edition — Reranking the Fortune 500 using Darknet Intelligence. The study ranks each company in the Fortune 500 based on the extent of the exposure of their data on the darknet.
 
The study reveals that most Fortune 500 companies are exposed to a greater degree than found in the first edition of DarkOwl’s report published in May 2017. In fact, DarkOwl found new data in the darknet for over 80% of Fortune 500 companies since the first index was published. All Fortune 500 companies were once again found to have exposure on the darknet.
 
The darknet is a collection of networks on the internet that are purposefully hidden, difficult to access, and designed specifically for privacy. Unlike the surface web, which is comprised of public information that is available to search engines, the darknet is only accessible with special tools, software, and skills. As a result, the privacy of the darknet facilitates the exchange of stolen and hacked data. Usage of the darknet continues to increase, making the presence of a company’s data on the darknet, as well as the quality of that data, a vital measure of cybersecurity risk.
 
“With many of the Fortune 500 due to release new products at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, DarkOwl’s latest report sheds light on the potential darknet-associated risks which companies — and their customers — are facing. Understanding the extent of darknet exposure is a first step towards enabling these companies to perform a full, comprehensive risk-assessment and mitigate accordingly,” said Mark Turnage, CEO of DarkOwl.
 
Insights from the study include:

• Technology and Telecommunications companies, which store large databases of credentials, have the highest overall exposure on the darknet.
• Financial firms experienced the largest increase in darknet exposure from 2017 to 2018.
• Frontier Communications leads the Index, reflective of a significant increase in their darknet exposure from 2017 to 2018.
• The worst performing companies had the highest percentage of new data posted on the darknet. 

To read the full study, visit: www.darkowl.com/darknet-index-2018-fortune-500
 
About DarkOwl
DarkOwl (formerly Owl Cybersecurity) is based in Denver, Colorado and provides darknet threat intelligence to allow companies and organizations to understand their own digital risks. DarkOwl’s data platform allows companies to see the theft, breach, or otherwise compromised proprietary data on the darknet, thus allowing them to mitigate damage prior to the information being misused. The DarkOwl database is believed to be the largest database of darknet content available to commercial users.

www.darkowl.com
 

Contact Information

Leah Meredith

Assistant Director, Marketing

DarkOwl

(1) 716-536-2821

leah.meredith@darkowl.com