Billions of searches run on the surface web daily. Tantamount with Google, is the web component that undergoes search engine indexing. If you try typing your name on the search box, you'll likely come across results in their hundreds of thousands, with only a few of them being familiar to you.
But as vast as it may appear, the surface web is just the tip of the iceberg, constituting just 4 percent of the complete World Wide Web. Beneath this surface lies a more significant chunk of the web that's not indexed by search engines. This section comprises the deep and dark web, which require equal attention in terms of monitoring and assessments.
You've definitely encountered the deep web and dark web concepts, but you don't really understand what each means, except the fact that they both sound ominous. Well, the terms are mostly used interchangeably, but they are two different things.
What Is the Deep Web?
The deep web refers to content that doesn't display on search engine results because they're password protected or come in massive volumes. This section is right below the surface web and constitutes about 90% of the entire web.
Web developers, websites, and organizations instruct search engines not to categorize or search this data. But you can access much of it if you directly type the web address. The most common applications of the deep web include:
What Is the Dark Web?
The dark web refers to intentionally hidden web content only accessible via specific browsers. This is what comes to mind when discussing the hidden or unknown part of the web where lots of illicit activities occur. Websites here use the public internet, but you must have the right tools.
The main uses of the dark web include:
These terms are regularly used interchangeably due to the numerous similarities that they portray. The deep web encompasses non-indexed pages, but the dark web comprises non-indexed ones that facilitate illegal niches.
Pages in the deep web are non-indexed because search engines deem them irrelevant or fail to see them. On the other hand, websites on the dark web are intentionally invisible to cover up many nefarious activities.
The deep web allows both bad and good activities. It's ethically neutral. In contrast, its dark counterpart brings together society and the moral-lacking economy. Considering how the two concepts relate, it would be wise to conclude that the deep web isn't entirely the dark web, but the dark web is part of the deep web.
The dark web is within the deep web, which generally encompasses web content that's usually impossible to search using standard search engines. So even if you don't get something on Google, it's probably still in the unimaginably expansive World Wide Web.
The same standards apply to your overall cyber threat environment. You may not know it, but some of your data could be out there somewhere. As such, you need a robust cybersecurity solution with threat intelligence and dark web monitoring capabilities. This is where an experienced IT managed service provider like Orbit Solutions comes in.
For more guidance on the deep and dark web, schedule your free consultation or reach out to us.
Orbis Solutions, Inc., in Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin and throughout Nevada, has developed creative, strategic and cost-effective technical solutions for a wide variety of clients. Offering a diverse range of products and services, Orbis provides IT solutions to promote your company’s productivity and profitability, and help you sort through the latest-hyped technology, so you can select the best hardware, software or service for your business needs.
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