Investigators are turning more and more to internet forensics tools in their online pursuit of criminal elements, hackers, terrorists, and other actors that threaten the public at large.

The ability to track such elements is becoming harder and harder as most operate on the dark web, a layer of the internet where threat actors can plan attacks, criminals swap confidential information, sell and buy data and illegal goods, and stay out of reach of digital detectives.

Using the right operational security methods investigators access the dark web securely to pursue the digital footprints of threat actors to build a picture of how they operate, their networks, plans, and co-conspirators.

More tools are becoming available to make dark web access and monitoring much more accessible and are further being enhanced by products that can quickly process big data flows into useful bitesize information to act on in real-time.

This is compared to the days of tedious and time-consuming processing of the correct information and deciphering it from various corners of the web, including message boards, forums, and marketplaces.

Internet forensics tools that can aid web scanning include Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and WEBINT. These can scan to identify and locate links between criminals and links to other actors within their circles.

Experts can also use them to track information, such as potential planning of hacks and inside threats, and counteract or disrupt plans in real-time. OSINT data sources are presented in graphs and maps for actionable insights, so a best-in-class dark web scanning service is required.

These tools are not limited to investigators and security organizations. Corporates, and financial institutions are also turning to these tools to monitor the dark web to detect and prevent insider threats.

Such web intelligence software scans for direct mentions of a specific digital asset that could indicate either being targeted or a potential breach.

Cutting-edge technology experts are developing some of the best tools being used by analysts. These products are underpinned by smart algorithms and Natural Language Processing (NLP) which can scan information quickly on dark web forums in different languages, such as Russian, Chinese, and English.

These services and products can give analysts monitoring the dark web a silent upper hand in the fight against threat actors and criminals intent on causing harm or damage to people and assets.

It also hands them a significant advantage in developing innovative and proactive planning strategies and methodologies to track, identify, and neutralize dark web activities.

Experts are also turning to internet forensics tools such as AI-Powered WEBINT solutions, which investigators can use to probe the dark web by collecting, analyzing, and monitoring data within a tactical timeframe.

Such state-of-the-art web intelligence platforms contain dark web monitoring tools and internet monitoring software designed to expedite web investigation processes.

One of the best offers a robust web engine that uses sophisticated AI algorithms to analyze collected data and provide deep insights in real-time.

The dark web monitoring platform also allows investigators to launch a cybercrime investigation with any small piece of digital forensics information, such as a name, location, or image. These can collect and analyze relevant big data and provide streamlined insights for effective action.