Pub. 9 2019 Issue 3

10 www.azbankers.org C YBERTHREAT INTELLIGENCE, OR CTI, CAN GIVE BANKERS A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE POTENTIAL THREATS THAT FACE THEIR BUSINESS. Whether it is knowing your enemy or learning about the latest malware, CTI provides information that can help executives make prudent, risk-based decisions. This information comes from the open internet as well as closed sources, including the darknet and dark web. Analyzing this CTI can produce insights and identify signs of a potential breach, leaked data or pending attacks. The darknet is the part of the internet that is not accessible through conventional browsers and requires specific software or configura - tions; the deep web is the part of the internet that is not accessible through search engines. Some nation states, cybercriminal gangs and threat actors thrive in this underground economy through ille- gal activity that includes the sale of personal information, financial goods and illicit services. For bank’s CTI, the deep web and darknet are a treasure trove of breached information and threat indicators. A vast majority of these cyberthreat intelligence sources contain goods and sensitive data stolen from the financial services industry. Potential financial gain drives bad actors to maintain a thriving marketplace built on illicit items, including debit and credit card numbers, identity theft services and banking malware. While no tool or service can completely eliminate the risk of a data breach, integrating CTI into a bank’s cybersecurity program can make it more difficult to target the bank and, as a result, can decrease the likelihood of a breach. To get value from CTI, a bank can: • Identify the threat actors that are leveraging potential vulnera- bilities in systems used by the financial sector; • Understand whether a particular organization or client is being targeted directly; • Detect active malware campaigns that could target the bank; • Learn where its customer and employee information may exist; • Find breached credit or debit cards on deep web or darknet marketplaces; and • Understand emerging trends about data theft. How Banks Can Use the Dark Web to Shed Light on Cybersecurity By Loras Even and Wanda Archy