Dark Web Monitoring & Threat Detection
Continuous monitoring of ransomware leak sites, dark web forums, and criminal marketplaces. Know before your clients, regulators, or the press.
Written by Simon Lynge, Director DFIR — ChCSP, CREST IR | Last updated: March 2026
The Threat You Can't See From Your Network
Ransomware groups announce victims on dark web leak sites before — and sometimes instead of — encrypting data. Stolen credentials appear on criminal marketplaces within hours of a breach. Sensitive documents surface on forums before your team knows they are missing.
Your firewall, EDR, and SOC cannot see any of this. Binary Response monitors the dark web infrastructure most relevant to your threat profile around the clock — and alerts you the moment your organisation appears.
What We Monitor
- Ransomware leak sites — all major and emerging threat actor blog sites; first disclosure alerts before data is published
- Criminal marketplaces — stolen credentials, session cookies, and access listings for your domains
- Dark web forums — mentions of your organisation, domains, IP ranges, and key personnel
- Paste sites and dump repositories — credential dumps, database leaks, and code repositories
- Telegram and Discord channels — threat actor announcements and initial access broker activity
- Supply chain exposure — monitoring for third-party disclosures that include your data
Alert Types
- Tier 1 — Ransomware victim disclosure: Your organisation has appeared on a leak site. Immediate response required.
- Tier 2 — Credential exposure: Employee credentials or session tokens found in marketplaces or dumps.
- Tier 3 — Data or document exposure: Files referencing your organisation found in accessible repositories.
- Tier 4 — Threat actor interest: Mentions in forums or initial access broker listings suggesting targeting activity.
From Alert to Response
Monitoring without response capability is noise. Every Binary Response monitoring client has a direct line to our IR team. When a Tier 1 alert fires, we call your named contact within the hour — and mobilise response immediately under your retainer or on an ad-hoc basis.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from commercial threat intel platforms?
Commercial platforms cast a wide net across many industries. We tailor monitoring to your specific organisation — your domains, IP ranges, subsidiaries, key personnel names, and supply chain. We combine automated monitoring with human analysis, so you receive contextualised alerts rather than raw data.
What happens when an alert fires?
You receive an immediate notification with context: what was found, where, what it means, and recommended next steps. For Tier 1 ransomware alerts, we call your designated contact directly. We don't send alerts and leave you to interpret them alone.
Can monitoring help if we've already had a breach?
Yes. Post-breach monitoring is critical — we watch for data appearing in marketplaces, confirm whether exfiltrated data is sold or published, and provide evidence for your notification obligations.
Do you cover subsidiary companies and acquired entities?
Yes. We configure monitoring for all entities you want covered. M&A activity often creates coverage gaps — brief us on recent acquisitions and we'll extend monitoring immediately.
Is monitoring included in your IR retainer?
Yes — dark web monitoring is included in all Binary Response retainer tiers as standard.