Banking
2M
credit cards kept off the market
ACID detected an insider trying to sell a million customer records and two million credit cards—giving the bank time to recover the data and protect its reputation.
Read case study
ACID Technologies
Dark Web Monitoring& Threat Intelligence
Detect attacks in the planning stage—before stolen data hits the market.
ACID’s dark web monitoring solution delivers tailored 24/7/365 coverage of the dark web, deep web, leak sites and messaging platforms, with real-time alerts so security teams can foil attacks or mitigate impact without expanding headcount.
The ACID platform
One threat intelligence platform, three ways to deploy it
Monitor the dark web, protect your digital identity, or run both across the organization with enterprise-grade integration.
ACID Intelligence
The dark web monitoring platform that gives advance warning from the places attackers plan, trade and leak.
- Client-specific keywords, translated into the languages that matter to you
- Dark web, deep web, paste tools, dump and leak sites, IRC, Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp and WeChat
- Automated crawlers and AI-assisted detection, with alerts updated as intelligence grows
- Real-time delivery to your dashboard, email, SIEM/SOAR or API
ACID DIP
Continuous protection for the websites, DNS, domains and apps customers trust as “you”.
- Website availability and defacement alerts
- DNS integrity checks against silent redirection
- Near-identical (lookalike) domain detection
- Phishing sites and imposter apps flagged before customers are fooled
ACID Enterprise
ACID Intelligence and ACID DIP combined into one organization-wide threat intelligence platform.
- A private cloud zone for each client
- SIEM/SOAR integration through a RESTful API
- Regex keywords and built-in UTF-8 multi-language support
- Centralized dashboards, email alerts and custom templates on request
Operating model
How ACID works
A continuous intelligence loop designed for security teams that need earlier warning without expanding headcount.
Step 01
Monitor
Always-on coverage across dark web, deep web, leak sites, paste tools, and chat platforms.
Step 02
Detect
Client-specific keywords and languages surface the earliest signals of hostile activity.
Step 03
Alert
Real-time notifications land in your dashboard, email, SIEM/SOAR, or API with actionable detail.
Step 04
Mitigate
Act while attacks are still in planning — shorten time-to-mitigate and protect reputation.
Coverage
What ACID’s dark web monitoring covers
One tailored keyword set, translated into the languages attackers use, watched 24/7/365 across every source type below. That breadth is what separates a dark web monitoring solution from a one-off dark web scan.
Dark web marketplaces
Listings for stolen credentials, card data, databases and network access.
Hacker forums
Planning-stage chatter, target lists and tools traded between threat actors.
Leak and ransomware sites
Posts that expose stolen files and extortion claims naming your organization.
Paste and dump sites
Credential combo lists, configuration files and data dumps as they appear.
Messaging apps
Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp and WeChat channels where data and access move fast.
IRC and chat
Real-time criminal conversations, including IRC webchat communities.
P2P networks
Confidential documents and source code shared over peer-to-peer networks.
Deep web
Unindexed sites and services that search engines and scanners never reach.
What we detect
- Leaked employee and customer credentials
- Payment card and banking data
- Customer databases and PII
- Network and VPN access for sale
- Attack planning against your brand
- Intellectual property and source code
- Threats to key personnel
- Lookalike domains and phishing sites
How alerts reach you
Dashboard
Centralized view, updated as intelligence grows
Email
Real-time notifications to the right owners
SIEM / SOAR
Alerts flow into your existing SOC workflow
RESTful API
Retrieve alerts programmatically
Case studies
Proof in the field
Real detections from ACID’s dark web monitoring, and what they meant for the organizations involved.
Government
100K+
citizen records flagged before sale
An attempt to sell the personal information of hundreds of thousands of citizens surfaced on the dark web. ACID alerted the affected governmental body so it could respond.
Read case studyEnergy
Full
OT control regained before damage
A thermal plant’s management system was compromised. ACID’s alert enabled the operator to regain control and avoid financial, environmental, and reputational damage.
Read case studySectors
Industries we protect
Sector-specific dark web monitoring and threat intelligence for regulated and high-risk industries.
Financial Services
Tailored monitoring for sector-specific risk
- Credential dumps and stolen card data appear on marketplaces before fraud spikes.
- Insider and third-party leaks threaten customer trust and regulatory exposure.
The 2026 threat landscape
Why dark web monitoring matters now
Breaches cost more and stay hidden longer. Every day an intrusion goes unnoticed is a day stolen data and access are traded on the dark web.
“79% of ransomware attacks now start with compromised identities. Average recovery cost reached $1.70 million, excluding ransom.”
Read the full 2026 briefing
Cybercrime kept evolving in 2026. The global average cost of a data breach rose to $4.99 million—a 12% increase and a record high—while breaches took an average of 183 days to identify and another 64 days to contain, for a 247-day lifecycle (IBM). One in four malicious breaches were AI-enabled, costing an average of about $6 million.
ACID Technologies responds with continuous dark web and multi-source monitoring. Tailored real-time alerts surface cyber attacks aimed at your organization as early as the planning stage, so you can deploy countermeasures, disrupt the attack, or limit the damage.
The threat landscape
Attackers keep finding new entry points as digitization, remote work, and IoT expand the attack surface. Verizon’s 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report analyzed more than 31,000 incidents and 22,000 confirmed breaches—and for the first time in 19 years, vulnerability exploitation overtook stolen credentials as the leading breach entry point. Global cybercrime costs continue to rise (Cybersecurity Ventures) while many organizations still lack minimum viable resilience and skilled security staff.
Cross-industry campaigns in 2025–2026—from retail and airlines to casinos and manufacturing—show how identity-focused groups monetize stolen data and access via dark web leak sites and forums. Early visibility into those listings is a practical advantage for defenders.
Where ACID comes in
Security talent is scarce and expensive. ACID strengthens your posture without expanding the SOC: continuous monitoring of the dark web, deep web, and related platforms using client-specific keywords in the languages that matter to you. Automated crawlers and AI-assisted detection catch early signals of hostile activity, then deliver alerts and detail in real time—with updates as intelligence grows.
Ransomware pressure
Ransomware remains a primary business risk. Sophos reported that 79% of ransomware attacks now start with compromised identities. Malicious email (26%) and phishing (24%) overtook exploited vulnerabilities as the leading root causes. Data encryption climbed to 56% of incidents. Average recovery cost reached $1.70 million excluding ransom.
Early visibility into planning-stage discussions, credential markets, and leak-site posts—delivered by ACID—gives defenders a practical way to shorten time-to-mitigate before encryption and public disclosure escalate costs.
Dark web monitoring: common questions
What is a dark web monitoring solution?
A dark web monitoring solution continuously scans dark web marketplaces, hacker forums, leak and paste sites, and messaging channels for your organization's data and keywords, then alerts your team when something relevant appears. ACID combines automated crawlers, AI-assisted detection and client-specific keywords in multiple languages, running 24/7/365 with real-time alerts. [Learn how dark web monitoring works](/blog/what-is-dark-web-monitoring/).
How is ACID different from a free dark web scan or breach notification tool?
Free scans and breach notification tools check an email address or domain against breaches that have already been published. ACID monitors live sources continuously with tailored keywords, so it can surface credentials for sale, network access offers and attack planning before data is widely dumped. You can still [request a free dark web scan](/dark-web-scan/) to see what is already exposed.
What does ACID's dark web monitoring tool detect?
ACID detects leaked employee and customer credentials, payment card and banking data, customer databases and PII, network and VPN access for sale, attack planning against your brand, intellectual property and source code, threats to key personnel, and, with ACID DIP, lookalike domains, phishing sites and imposter apps.
How are ACID alerts delivered?
Alerts appear on a centralized dashboard as soon as a threat is detected and are updated as more intelligence is collected. They are also sent in real time by email and to your SIEM/SOAR, or can be retrieved through a RESTful API.
Why do organizations need dark web monitoring now?
Cybercrime continues to evolve. In 2026 the global average cost of a data breach rose to $4.99 million, while breaches took an average of 183 days to identify and another 64 days to contain—a 247-day lifecycle (IBM). Continuous dark web monitoring helps detect attacks in planning and leaked data earlier.
How does ACID help security teams short on staff?
ACID offers a cost-effective solution that strengthens cybersecurity posture without expanding IT security headcount—using automated, tailored monitoring and real-time alerts across dark web and related sources.
How serious is the ransomware threat?
According to Sophos, 79% of ransomware attacks now start with compromised identities. Malicious email (26%) and phishing (24%) are the leading root causes. Average recovery cost reached $1.70 million excluding ransom, and data encryption climbed to 56% of incidents.
Which industries use ACID dark web monitoring?
ACID protects banks and financial services, healthcare, critical infrastructure, energy, oil and gas, water utilities, government, education, transportation, manufacturing, retail, e-commerce, hotels, gaming and gambling. [See dark web monitoring by industry](/industries/).
Insights
Latest from the ACID blog
Best Dark Web Monitoring Tools (2026): A Buyer's Comparison
A fair 2026 comparison of dark web monitoring tools and services for businesses: how we evaluated them, a side-by-side table, and which tool fits which use case.
Dark Web Monitoring for Business: Everything You Need to Know
A practical guide to dark web monitoring for business: why companies need it, what to monitor, how to start a program, build vs. buy, costs, and a launch checklist.
2026 Threat Landscape: Why Dark Web Monitoring Matters More Than Ever
Flagship 2026 reports from IBM, Verizon, and Sophos—plus the Scattered Spider cross-industry campaign across retail, airlines, casinos, and manufacturing—show why continuous dark web monitoring is essential.
See what the dark web knows about you
Talk to an ACID analyst about tailored dark web monitoring, or start with a free scan of what is already exposed.