The deep web links are known for their anonymity and confidentiality, which is now finding itself in danger because of the union of enhanced CTI: Cyber threat intelligence and artificial intelligence (AI). The deep web has long been a sanctuary for those looking for security and privacy. However, the development of CTI and AI has elevated concerns about the destruction of its traditional haven.
Enhanced CTI has allowed law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity authorities to better track and recognize criminal activities on the deep web. The skill to spot illegal operations and malicious actors has undoubtedly subsidized an innocuous digital environment.
Instead of that, artificial intelligence (AI) transformed security and privacy on the deep web. It can be bound to progress advanced algorithms for threat detection, glitch exposure, and user action investigation. It could increase the security of the deep web.
When CTI and AI both combine, they have the power to restyle the deep web and dark web. They offer to make the internet an innocuous place by cracking down on illicit activities. It also threatens the purity of anonymity and privacy that has been the stamp of the deep web and dark web.
So, in this article, we have shared details about CTI, how AI affects CTI, and why deep web and dark web links are in danger because of enhanced CTI and AI. Moreover, we also discuss in detail how CTI works to cause danger for deep web. and dark web links, and some recent work of CTI+AI in deep web cybercrime. So, let’s start to get all the details.
How Does AI Affect CTI: Cyber Threat Intelligence?
Artificial intelligence (AI) eases the job of the security team by fastening the task of data processing.
Let’s suppose 8774 data analysts work 8-hour shifts for 5 days a week and 52 weeks yearly to process. the same amount of security event data that machine analytics can process every year.
Consequently, we can say that AI is the time-saving component for the Cyber threat intelligence process. However, AI has an active role in the threat intelligence process as well. Since threat intelligence depends on data investigation, NLP technology is severely used in gathering shapeless data and data processing.
Threat intelligence approves NLP and machine learning to understand text from several unstructured documents across different languages. Cyber threat intelligence is an application of projecting that attention on security.
About Cyber Threat on Deep Web Links
In the COVID-19 pandemic occurrence, the number of data sanctuary attacks and hacking has augmented intensely. As the pandemic has forced people to remote work. That is applied by organizations all over the world without taking suitable and operative measures in contradiction of these attacks.
However, the social networks of deep web and dark web links are measured as important spots where hackers can get technical data and progress their skills. These networks have data, and they interconnect with each other and sell hacking-related materials. Like breached data, stolen card numbers, system susceptibilities, and experience or strategy for criminalizes and attacks.
In the deep web and dark web social networks, people can follow posts from other followers that they consider responsible or professionals. Additionally, forum members of these networks have different specialties and rankings within the same community according to their actions and services.
Consequently, these networks provide the proper environment for the growth of cybercriminal networks and increase opportunities for planning and conducting cybercrime all over the world. Thus, these places offer significant possessions for researchers and cybersecurity experts to notice early and offer organizations warnings of potential threats. Studying these hacker groups on the dark web and deep web lets to the constant progress of new zones in security information processing technologies.
Deep Web and Dark Web Links in Danger Because of CTI & AI
In the era of technology, hacking techniques and tools are rapidly developing. It has become an urgent requirement for different organizations to take appropriate security measures against cyber-attacks and cyber criminals.
However, cybersecurity attacks can come in various patterns and levels, differing in their difficulty, breadth, and purposes. The huge diversity of these hacking tools requires organizations and countries, in general, to make cybersecurity one of their essential systems.
A significant part of hacking activities transformed from just individual acts of theft and destruction to well-prepared and economically supported actors targeting profits on a large scale because of hasty technological development.
The transformation of hacking requires organizations to contemplate contemporary and sophisticated techniques to keep pace with the development of cyberattacks. That is why a new generation of cyber security tools (AI) is raising and attracting increasing interest from researchers and security consultants, which is cyber threat intelligence (CTI).
Here is the detail about CTI Cyber threat intelligence.
What is CTI: Cyber Threat Intelligence
Cyber threat intelligence contains data associated with both existing and emerging cyber threats and threat actors that specifically target an organization. The data can be gathered from different sources to help identify and mitigate harmful events and potential attacks occurring in cyberspace.
The information is collected from the below-mentioned sources.
- Expert Analysis
- Information sharing communities
- Security logs
- Open-source threat feeds
- Social media platforms like Twitter, WhatsApp
- Malware dumping platforms
Organizations can communicate with cyber threat intelligence to proactively make data-backed security decisions to enhance their detection and prevention rate and overall security posture. CTI: Cyber threat intelligence is usually offered in the form of a threat intelligence platform or service, while some organizations have built-in CTI procedures.
How CTI & AI Work to Cause Danger for Deep Web Links
Both the deep web and dark web are the most difficult parts someone can access, which leads to a high proportion of malicious and illegal activities in that hidden and encoded environment. Different crimes and terrible actions are widespread on this part of the web. It includes beginner and expert hackers damaging networks or stealing organization data and many other crimes. Such as human trafficking, child pornography, drugs, arms trade terrorism, the recruitment of extremists, murders for hire, fraud, fake documents, and many others.
However, in hacking communities on the dark web and deep web links, hackers exchange experiences and share data. In addition to circulating hacking tools, malware ransomware breached data and planned large-scale cyberattacks resembling a pattern of organized crime.
While methods and techniques of CTI: Cyber threat intelligence, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning data mining, and analytics are the significant tools in fighting cybercrime. These tools support law enforcement agencies in targeting and disrupting sites on the deep web and dark web. Furthermore, they offer them the legal indication they want to sanction criminals.
Cyber threat intelligence has numerous data aspects from the deep web and dark web that can help form protection and preparation against cyberattacks. These aspects include analyzing a recent attack on a specific association, tracking variations on hacker marketplaces, monitoring hackers’ actions in hacking groups, and estimating the progress of hacker skills and capabilities.
Here, we have shared how CTI and AI work to cause danger for deep web and dark web links.
Requirements
CTI: Cyber threat intelligence starts work with the requirements as it sets the roadmap for a specific operation. The purpose of the requirement phase is to establish the goals and objectives of the project. At this stage, the team will agree on the goals and the methodology of their intelligence program based on the requirements of the stakeholders involved. Once the team gets the requirement, they may discover these below mention points.
- Identify the Attackers
- Create lists of identity attackers used
- Get relevant data about the organization
- Motivation of the attackers for cyber threat
- The outcome of the attack
- Actions to take to strengthen the defense against future attacks.
Collect the Data
When the requirements are determined, the team sets out to collect the data required to satisfy those objectives. Depending on the goals, the team will usually look for search logs, publicly available data sources, relevant forums, social media, and industry or subject-matter experts.
However, the team would likely probe and review specialized dark web forums. These forums are frequented by initial access brokers (IABs) to sell unauthorized access to organizational IT environments to the highest bidder. If a cyber threat intelligence is in use, it might automatically fetch this data in a structured format.
On the other hand, if such a platform is not available, the team is required to scrape data from specific TOR web pages manually. This procedure could involve trawling through posts, tracking user activities, and capturing transaction details on these forums.
Processing the Data
Once the data has been collected, it will be processed into a format suitable for analysis. The team sifts through the raw data, filtering out irrelevant data inadvertently captured during the collection phase. The activities during this phase may include;
- Organizing data points into spreadsheets, decrypting files, translating data from foreign sources, and evaluating the data for relevance and reliability. It may involve creating a timeline of activities attributing actions to specific threat actors, linking events to certain vulnerabilities, and so forth.
- Joining indicators of compromise into a security data and event management automation and response tool. It lets the team compare the actual traffic within their organization network, helping recognize probable breaches or constant attacks.
Investigation
The team will then conduct a detailed analysis to get the answers to the questions posed in the requirements phase after the data has been processed. At the investigation stage, the team also works to decipher the data into the action items and valuable recommendations for stakeholders. Keep in mind that the reports should be in a format that is easy to understand and must offer actionable recommendations for justifying the identified threats.
Broadcasting the Results
After the investigation is done, the cyber threat intelligence team has to translate their analysis into a digestible format and present the results to the stakeholders. The study is offered according to the audience. However, the recommendations should be presented concisely without confusing technical jargon, either in a one-page report or a short slide deck.
Response
In the end, the CIT: cyber threat intelligence gets the feedback on the provided report to determine whether adjustments are required to be made for future threat intelligence operations. Stakeholders may have changes to their priorities, the cadence at which they wish to get intelligence reports, or how the data should be presented.
Furthermore, this process makes a cycle: the feedback stage leads back into the requirement definition for the next cycle. Supporting nonstop enhancement and adaptation to evolving threats.
CTI+AI Work on Cybercrime in Deep Web Links
The deep web and the dark web are a part of cyberspace that is not indexed by traditional search engines and can only be gotten into by specific software or browsers. Furthermore, it is the center of illegal activities, including the sale of drugs, stolen data hacking tools, and other illicit belongings and services.
Here, we have shared the probable danger and threat of the cyber-crime deep web and the dark web links. Where CTI and AI should work together to make the deep web and dark web a clean and safe place.
Ransomware
It is one of the most rampant and damaging cyber threat dangers for deep web and dark web links where CTI should work. Recently, several ransomware groups have emerged with their exclusive modus operandi and targets. So, let us take a closer look at some of the prominent ransomware groups.
ALPHV: (BlackCat)
The ALPHV group is also recognized as BlackCat. This group has been causing chaos all over the world as it is particularly targeting manufacturing and technology-related organizations. Their recent activity includes infiltrating two Korean companies at the same time. One of them is a renowned sweet meat company, and the other one is a global localization data service provider.
However, the ALPHV group employs a double extortion tactic, stealing and disclosing data from victims and demanding ransoms ranging from $4000000 to $3 million. Their bold and hostile tactic purposes to raise the probability of victims paying the ransom.
Akira
Akira is a new ransomware group. It primarily targeted companies and organizations in the United States and Canada. However, in a surprising turn of events, the United States subsidiary of a Korean pharmaceutical company fell victim to the Akira ransomware attack. The strategy of Akira aligns with other ransomware groups using double extortion and pressuring victims into paying for ransomware by publicly exposing their stolen data.
BianLian
This ransomware group has demonstrated a high level of activity. It targets diverse industries with a focus on organizations and private corporations in major infrastructure sectors in the United States and Australia. Particularly, a prominent Korean medical company became its first victim. The group gains access to victim organizations via a valid remote desktop protocol: RDP credentials and services open-source tools for ID theft and data withdrawals.
RA Group
Another ransomware group is RA Group, which is quite new. The group used the leaked source code of the Babuk ransomware. Their victim includes electrical parts insurance, pharmaceutical research and development, and freight companies from the United States, Korea, and Taiwan.
However, the unique approach of this group involves disclosing a portion of the leaked data and threatening it progressively. That exposes all data within a year if the victim fails to comply with their demands.
Royal
This ransomware group originated in Russia. The royal ransomware group has been active since September last year. They are believed to be an offshoot of the disbanded Conti ransomware group. Moreover, this group gained significant attention after launching a devastating attack on the city of Dallas. The group impact on various departments and services. It has threatened to disclose the personal data of city officials and tens of thousands of citizens if their demands are not accomplished.
Forums And Black Markets
The dark web and deep web harbor many forums and black markets where cybercriminals unite to trade stolen data, hacking tools, drugs, and other illegal activities. Below, we have described two significant developments in the forums and black-market places.
Monopoly Market
One of the most popular markets of the dark web is the monopoly market. It was abruptly shut down in December 2021. The shutdown led to the apprehension of 288 drug dealers and buyers through an operation that Europol directed.
However, the suspect was involved in trading drugs using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (MNR). The actions of Europol have disrupted the activities of these criminals and highlighted the potential risks faced by thousands of drug buyers all over the world.
Exposed Forums
This is a newly emerged cybercrime forum. It made headlines by leaking the member database of Raidforums, which is a notorious cybercrime community. Its database was seized two years ago by the United States Department of Justice. The leaked data include usernames, email addresses, hashed passwords, and registration dates. It has become a valuable resource for law enforcement agencies and security researchers to identify and track cybercriminals.
Threat Actor
Cybercriminals operating on the dark web and deep web often remain elusive. Moreover, they use various aliases and strategies to evade law enforcement. Here, we have highlighted a threat actor who has caught the attention of authorities, which is a danger point for deep web and dark web links.
Wazawaka
Wazawaka is also recognized as Mikhail Pavlocich Matveev. He is a Russian citizen wanted for launching ransomware attacks on organizations across the United States. He is associated with several ransomware variants, including Hive, LockBit, and Babuk, and has caused significant financial losses to victims all over the world. The FBI has allotted a brief warrant for Matveev, offering a $10 million prize for data leading to his arrest.
FAQs
Q: What is an Example of CTI?
NETSCOUT’s ATLAS Intelligence Feed is a prime example of a CTI: cyber threat Intelligence service. The corporation offers the organization up-to-date data on potential threats. It lets them take a proactive approach to cybersecurity.
Q: How much of the deep web is a crime?
More than 60 percent of the data available on the deep web could potentially harm enterprises. Here, you will find information about hacking and exchanging illicit products like drugs, fake documents, stolen credit card data, and many more.
Q: What are the types of CTI?
CTI has 3 types;
1: Tactical: in a tactical system, CTI describes the technical indicators and behaviors used to inform network-level action and remediation.
2: Operational: the threat hunters and incident responders perform to catalog adversary behavior, advise holistic remediation, and display examples of the threat-hunting process.
3: Strategic: in this category, the threat is placed into a business context and describes the calculated impact informing risk management and organizational direction.
Q: Do you know the difference between cyber intelligence and cyber threat intelligence?
Basically, there is no such difference between cyber intelligence and cyber threat intelligence. However, cyber intelligence is called threat intelligence, which is a continuing process that includes the assortment, processing, investigation, and circulation of real-time, lively, threat-targeting applications and systems.
Q: What are the five general categories of threats to information systems?
The potential threats and vulnerabilities that may get exposed to an informational system are Malware, phishing, internal threats, cloud vulnerabilities, and ransomware.
Q: What are the main elements of threat intelligence?
Threat intelligence contains deep data and context of a definite threat, like who is assaulting their capabilities and motivation, and the indicators of negotiation. With that data, organizations can make advanced decisions about how to defend against the attacks.
Final Words
Conclusively, the deep web and dark web links are basically known for their anonymity. But now deep web and dark web are in danger because of the combination of CTI: cyber threat intelligence and AI: Artificial intelligence.
The amalgamation of CTI and AI offers the promise to make the internet a safer place by cracking down on illegal activities. And it also threatens the sanctity of anonymity and privacy that has been the hallmark of the deep web. The development of CTI and AI has raised concerns about the destruction of its traditional haven.
So let us know what you think about the joining work of CTI and AI that causes danger for deep web and dark web links users.
