Key takeaways:
- The deep and dark web can provide a sea of information on target companies during mergers and acquisitions.
- Potential acquirers can become aware of potential cyber threats facing target businesses.
- Using deep and dark web information is an essential part of modern cyber due diligence.
The deep and dark web is full of information that isn’t easily accessible through traditional search engines.
But this doesn’t mean that the information on the deep and dark web is untapped. In fact, there’s a wealth of information to be found on the deep and dark web, if you know where to look.
In this article, we’ll be diving into what the deep and dark web is and how it can help with mergers and acquisitions.
Keep reading to find out how the deep and dark web is the key to effective cybersecurity due diligence.
Contents:
- Can the deep and dark web help with mergers and acquisitions?
- The importance of cyber due diligence
- The internet ‘iceberg’ – the open, deep and dark web
- Gain a major competitive advantage with Trust Hogen
Can the deep and dark web help with mergers and acquisitions?
The short answer is yes. The deep and dark web can provide a wealth of essential information during the due diligence process of a merger and acquisition.
One of the key benefits of having deep and dark web intelligence is that you can gain insights into a company you’re considering acquiring. For example, you can learn about a company’s financial stability, employee morale, and if any confidential information has been leaked.
This type of intelligence can give you a major advantage when it comes to negotiating a merger or acquisition. With the deep and dark web, you can be sure that you’re getting the most accurate and up-to-date information possible.
By using this intelligence, potential acquirers can proactively detect and address any cyber and physical threats that the target company could be susceptible to, such as:
- Ransomware attacks
- Intellectual property vulnerable to insider threats
- Hacktivism
- Supply chain security
- Fraud
- Data theft
The importance of cyber due diligence
But why is cyber due diligence important?
In the context of a merger and acquisition, it’s in the interest of both parties to be aware of accrued risks, like potential data leaks.
Cyber due diligence can help you identify these threats and assess their potential impact on your business, or the business you intend to merge with or acquire.
With this information, you can make informed decisions about how to protect your business, or whether a merger and acquisition would be a sound investment.
Buyers are keen to know about certain cybersecurity processes and information controls in place at the target company, as a stable cybersecurity infrastructure provides assurance to both the seller and buyer.
The internet ‘iceberg’ – the open, deep and dark web
You might still be wondering, ‘what exactly is the deep and dark web?’
The best way to look at it is as though it’s an iceberg.
At the top of the iceberg is the surface web. This contains open content easily accessed by popular search engines, like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. However, these search engines only index a small portion of the total content on the web (around 10%).
To access the remaining 90% of the content, you need to dive deeper down using specialised search engines designed to index the deep and dark web content.
The deep web isn’t actually as daunting as its name suggests. Deep web content includes anything behind a paywall or sign-in credentials, such as social media, online banking or a company’s restricted intranets.
The dark web only takes up a small part of the deep web, but it’s here where you’ll find the most sensitive and confidential information. But, unlike on the surface web, you can’t search for information on the dark web using the normal search engine tools
What’s on the dark web?
The dark web is made up of sites that can only be accessed using specialised software, like The Onion Router (Tor).
Tor is designed to conceal a user’s location and identity, which makes it popular with criminals and journalists alike. Because of this anonymity, the dark web is often associated with illegal activity, such as drug dealing, money laundering and weapon trading.
However, it’s not all bad. The dark web can also be used for legitimate purposes, such as whistleblowing or journalism. In fact, many companies are now using the dark web to their advantage by monitoring it for insights into their industry.
In this case, a dark web monitor is used to collect intelligence to give you a competitive advantage during the merger and acquisition process.
Gain a major competitive advantage with Trust Hogen
Thank you for reading our post on how deep & dark web intelligence can help with mergers and acquisitions.
If you’re considering a merger or acquisition, don’t overlook the deep and dark web. With the right intelligence, you can gain a major advantage in the negotiation process.
We may be biased, but we think there’s no better UK cyber security company than Trust Hogen to carry out your business’s cyber due diligence.
From mergers and acquisitions to pen testing and GDPR health checks, our industry-leading services can ensure your business remains safe online.
Being a leading independent managed service provider (MSSP), we can guarantee only the highest quality service to match your specific needs.
Cyber security for companies is of the utmost importance, so contact Trust Hogen today to carry out cyber due diligence the right way.