Security Feature

You may have heard about it whispered in tech circles, or someone made an oblique reference to it in conversation and then moved on. But the Dark Web is now coming into the light, and it’s time you knew what it’s about.

Simply put, the Dark Web was developed to allow secure communications between government agencies, as well as dissidents & whistleblowers fighting oppressive regimes. But now it's being used to help attack companies, as it also allows for the secure exchange of pilfered information such as Social Security and credit card numbers. It also acts as a conduit, allowing terrorists to plan and hackers to freelance for the highest bidder. In today's security-conscious atmosphere, every business and government entity must understand the threats and challenges this underground network poses.

Still, despite all this, there are many positive attributes of the Dark Web. Now the first major Dark Web conference will be held Thursday, May 12, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage Special Events Hall in New York City’s lower Manhattan. 

The show features a top shelf lineup of speakers. Included among them will be Geoffrey Ingersoll, managing editor at The Daily Caller News Foundation. Ahead of the conference, Ingersoll was asked his feelings on the dark Web and what it all means:

TMC (News - Alert): Why do companies need to know about the Dark Web?

Geoffrey Ingersoll: Because you can make money protecting it, from teaching companies to protect and/or protecting your own.

TMC: How big, exactly, is the Dark Web?

GI: It's roughly 95 percent of the Internet, give or take.

TMC: What challenges have come up due to the Dark Web?

GI: Keeping information privileged is big business nowadays, and the inability to do so is ruinous.

TMC: What’s the most surprising thing about the Dark Web people would be surprised to learn?

GI: That 95 percent of the Internet is the Dark Web, and 95 percent of the Dark Web is totally innocuous.  Think about it as being like the back end of some random 15 year old girl's tumblr page.

TMC: So what’s the difference between the Dark Web and the Deep Web?

GI: The Dark Web is anything that is not publicly searchable through search engines. The Deep Web is websites and marketplaces that only exist under several layers of hardened encryption.

TMC: So what unique perspective about it all will you be sharing at the conference?

GI: I remember before the Internet was encrypted. I served in the Marine Corps, and I remember when their unclassified network was not too protected. I've covered ‘cyber’ as a journalist for a number of years, and I have a few suggestions about how to protect and make money doing it.

For those interested in attending, seats are still open. To reserve your spot, go HERE and log in today.