Your company’s data is on the dark web. Here's your action plan

What would you do if you found your company’s information on the dark web? For many executives and business owners, the idea feels abstract until it happens.

On the dark web, stolen data changes hands in the blink of an eye. By the time you discover it, cybercriminals may already be plotting their next move. The question isn’t if your data could appear there, but *when—*and whether you’re prepared to detect it and respond before the damage spreads.

This article provides an actionable, step-by-step plan for spotting breaches early and strengthening your organization’s defenses against future exposure on the dark web.

How does your company's data get on the dark web?

Your company’s data doesn’t end up on the dark web by accident. Attackers can exploit a gap with just one malicious link, a single misstep, or a neglected security update. Understanding the pathways to data leaks is the first step to closing vulnerabilities before criminals can cash in.

• Data breaches from third parties: A payroll processor, a cloud provider, or a marketing platform can fall victim to an attack and expose your sensitive information, which criminals can quickly resell on the dark web.
• Insider threats and negligence: This isn’t always a case of a malicious act. More often, it’s a careless click on a phishing link, reusing a weak password, or misconfiguring a database that creates an opening for attackers.
• Direct cyber-attacks: These attacks, such as phishing or infostealer malware, exploit various weaknesses. For example, in credential-stuffing attacks, hackers use passwords from other types of data breaches to gain unauthorized access to your accounts.
• Small businesses as prime targets: Criminals often attack smaller companies because they may have fewer security resources, making them easier targets for data theft.

How to check the dark web for your information

Wondering how to check if your data is on the dark web? Curiosity can cost you. Venturing onto the dark web without protection is risky and ineffective.

First, you can’t access the dark web with regular search engines; you need a specialized dark web browser, such as Tor. Second, even experienced IT teams avoid poking around those corners without specialized, secure tools.

But even with the right dark web browser, knowing where to look is nearly impossible. The safest and most effective approach is to use a professional service. A dark web monitoring solution is built to scan these hidden places safely. It can watch for mentions of your company’s assets on the dark web, such as employee emails, brand mentions, and company domains, and send alerts when it detects anything suspicious.

For a quick assessment, you can use NordStellar’s dark web scan online tool to see if your data has been exposed in a leak on the dark web.

The dark web is always changing. Your data could appear for sale today, tomorrow, or a month later. Continuous monitoring enables you to detect threats as soon as they emerge and respond before they cause harm.

Steps to take if your information was found on the dark web

The moment you confirm your data is exposed, the clock starts ticking. Here’s your playbook:

Understand what type of data is exposed on the dark web

Not all data leaks carry the same weight, but all require a tailored response. The first step is to identify exactly what was stolen. Was it a list of employee email addresses? Or was it login credentials with passwords, sensitive customer data, or intellectual property? Each category carries a different level of risk and requires a different response.

It's also important to validate whether the data is accurate and recent, as this will determine the immediacy of the threat from the dark web.

Assess the potential business risks

Once you know what information was found on the dark web, you can assess the potential damage it may cause. Threat actors often seek financial profit, but the consequences can extend to reputational, regulatory, and operational harm.

• Immediate threats: These include account takeovers, financial fraud, and targeted phishing attacks against employees or customers.
• Indirect threats: Exposure to the dark web can have long-term effects, such as a loss of customer trust, damage to your brand’s reputation, and severe penalties for compliance violations.
• Operational disruptions: A breach from the dark web can force you to shut down networks or revoke credentials, resulting in costly downtime and lost productivity.

Contain the threat

You are probably wondering now how to remove your information from the dark web. But once your data is out there, it's out there. You can’t remove it. However, you can act quickly to make it useless to criminals and limit the damage.

• Reset passwords and enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA): Immediately reset passwords for all affected accounts and enforce MFA to block unauthorized access.
• Invalidate exposed API keys or tokens: If API keys or other access tokens have been compromised, invalidate them immediately.
• Restrict access to the affected systems: Temporarily restrict access to high-risk systems or accounts while you investigate the full scope of the dark web leak.

Work with cybersecurity and legal experts

You have limited the damage caused by the breach. What’s next? Hire professionals for assistance in managing the technical and legal complexities of a data leak.

• Engage incident response specialists: They can help determine the source of the leak and ensure all security gaps are closed.
• Understand legal and regulatory obligations: Legal counsel is critical for navigating data breach notification laws and avoiding steep fines.
• Communicate with regulators and law enforcement: Your legal team can advise on how and when to report the dark web incident to the appropriate authorities.

Notify and support the affected stakeholders

First, your incident response team must understand the scope of the leak: what data was exposed and who was affected. Your legal counsel will then advise on the timing required by regulations like GDPR, which has strict rules for mandatory breach notifications.

Once the timing is set, how you communicate is key to maintaining trust. Your approach should be transparent, honest, and tailored to each audience:

• Employees: Explain what data was exposed and mandate immediate actions, like password resets.
• Customers: Clearly explain what data was compromised and the potential risks associated with it. Offering support, such as identity theft protection, is crucial for rebuilding trust.
• Partners and vendors: Notify any third parties if their data or systems are at risk to help prevent broader supply chain attacks.

Use the dark web incident as a learning opportunity

A security incident, when handled properly, can be a powerful learning experience that strengthens your organization.

• Review and update security policies: Check your protocols for password management, data handling, and access control to identify and close weaknesses.
• Deploy dark web monitoring: Continuous dark web monitoring tracks illicit forums and marketplaces and detects your company’s exposed data on the dark web.
• Train employees: Since many breaches stem from human error, run security training to help your team recognize threats better.

Protect your business from dark web threats