Media Release:

New feature alerts households when personal information is detected on the dark web, helping users take action before exposed data can be exploited

With Cybersecurity Awareness Month underway, NETGEAR is highlighting a growing cybersecurity concern for households: personal information can remain exposed online long after a data breach occurs, often without individuals knowing their details have been compromised.

To help households identify and respond to this type of exposure, NETGEAR has introduced Dark Web Monitoring to NETGEAR Armor and Armor Plus, powered by Bitdefender. The new feature monitors known data breach sources and the dark web for personal information and alerts users when their details are detected.

Data breaches can expose personal information through retailers, email providers, online services and other organisations. Once exposed, compromised information can potentially be used in phishing attempts, account takeover attempts and identity-related fraud.

Helping households identify their exposure

Dark Web Monitoring is designed to give users greater visibility into where their personal information may have been exposed and provide practical steps to help reduce associated risks.

Key features include:

• Continuous monitoring: Armor monitors the dark web and known data breach sources for personal information that may have been exposed or stolen.
• Smart alerts: Users are notified when their information is detected, with details about what was found and where it appeared.
• Recommended actions: Users receive guidance on steps they can take to help secure affected accounts, including changing compromised passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication.
• Identity Protection Score: A new score provides users with a simple way to understand their overall exposure and track their progress as they take recommended security actions.

“Most people think about network security as something that happens within their home. But your details can end up exposed somewhere else entirely, in a breach at a company you’ve never even dealt with directly. Dark Web Monitoring means finding out while there’s still time to act.” said Jonathan Oakes, Senior Vice President and General Manager of NETGEAR’s Home Networking Division.

Security beyond the home network

Dark Web Monitoring extends NETGEAR Armor’s existing security capabilities, which are designed to protect connected devices both at home and on the go.

NETGEAR Armor includes features such as:

• Advanced Malware Protection: defends against viruses, spyware, ransomware and malicious links before they reach the home network and devices.
• Anomaly Detection: an AI-powered feature that identifies and blocks unusual behaviour on connected devices.
• Exploit Prevention/Intrusion Detection System: shields data and devices by blocking attacks that attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in connected devices or software.
• DDoS Protection: defends the home network, cloud and users against crippling denial-of-service attacks.
• Brute Force Protection: prevents devices from being compromised by repeated failed login attempts and requests from suspicious sources, blocking connections at device level if a coordinated attack is identified.
• VPN with Adblocker and Anti tracker: encrypts the Internet connection and helps block ads to keep online activity and data more private on any network and load webpages faster.

Together, these capabilities are designed to provide households with a broader approach to cybersecurity, helping protect both the devices connected to the home network and personal information that may be exposed beyond it.

NETGEAR Armor and Armor Plus are available now and are managed through the Orbi and Nighthawk apps.

For more information, visit NETGEAR: https://www.netgear.com/home/services/armor/dark-web-monitoring/