More than half (56%) of managed security service providers (MSSPs) are undertaking dark web monitoring to answer a “surge” in customer demand, according to a new study by Searchlight Cyber of 500 such specialists in the U.S. and U.K.
The U.K.-based Searchlight's report also uncovered that two-thirds (67%) of the participants’ clients have requested threat intelligence from the dark web. Many of the MSSPs in the study are embracing dark web intelligence to meet client needs. And those who have undertaken dark web monitoring have unlocked new opportunities to help boost revenue, the study said.
A Deeper Dive Into The Report
Here are some additional key findings from the study:
- Nearly two-thirds (65%) of MSSPs said that their customers have asked for threat intelligence from the dark web, and of those, 74% said their customers’ interest has been increasing.
- This demand was driven by customers looking to identify vulnerabilities affecting their organization (39%), to find out if they are currently being targeted on the dark web (38%), and to gather intelligence on threat groups including ransomware gangs (38%).
- More than half of MSSPs have started to address customer demand; 56% say they are undertaking dark web monitoring.
- When asked about the benefits of using dark web intelligence, 37% of MSSPs report that it helps them identify customer details on the dark web, closely followed by giving them new products and services to sell to customers (35%) and making their current services more efficient (33%).
- The main barriers to adopting dark web monitoring reported by MSSPs were perceived complexity (35%), while 29% believe it isn’t relevant to their service offering, and 18% believe they can’t sell it.
Huge Opportunity for MSSPs
Searchlight Cyber CEO and co-founder Ben Jones said the company sees a “huge opportunity” for MSSPs to bring dark web intelligence into their repertoire:
“It’s great to see more MSSPs in the U.K. and U.S. capitalizing on the value of dark web threat intelligence in response to rapidly increasing demand. As this topic grows in prominence, those that have started to build out their capabilities, data sources, and understanding will be able to benefit as more customers look for guidance on the dark web, giving them an advantage in the competitive market of managed security services.”
