Zurich, Switzerland, October 6th / PRNewswire / -- MXDR, a partner that provides 24/7 managed security operations services, today announced the launch of ION for Dark Web Monitoring ( DWM). This is a new managed add-on service that extends ION MXDR to continuously identify exposed credentials, detect attempts at brand impersonation, and detect emerging external threats before attackers can take advantage of them.

Stolen credentials are traded on criminal forums, fake domain names are created to impersonate trusted brands, and sensitive information may also appear on the deep web and dark web. Security teams often take a long time to become aware of these exposures. Reports indicate that exposed credentials can appear on the dark web within as little as 24 hours. However, relevant reports show that only 19% of organizations continuously monitor such exposures and automatically take corrective actions. Most organizations lack the visibility, expertise, and operational processes necessary to identify and respond to these risks before they lead to intrusions.

ION for Dark Web Monitoring By combining continuous monitoring that covers selected threat intelligence sources with the same investigation, automation, and response capabilities that support Ontinue's managed security operations services, we address this challenge. ION for DWM It's not just about generating alerts; rather, it's about transforming external threat intelligence into investigated incidents and actionable security outcomes.

Ontinue The Chief Executive Officer Moritz Mann stated: "Security boundaries no longer extend only to the perimeters of a company. Organizations need to be aware of threats that exist outside their environments, whether it's the sale of stolen credentials, new brand impersonation activities, or early signs of attacker activity. Most dark web monitoring solutions stop at detection. ION for Dark Web Monitoring goes a step further by investigating these findings, assessing risks, and helping customers take action before exposures evolve into incidents."

Transform external threat intelligence into actionable measures

ION for Dark Web Monitoring will continuously monitor customers' own domain names and brand assets, covering credible intelligence sources on the clear web, deep web, and dark web. The findings will be verified, enriched, and put into operational use through ION SecOps Platform. This enables customers to leverage the same Cyber Defense Center analysts, automated workflows, and response capabilities that have been protecting their environments 24/7.

Main functions include:

• Continuous monitoring of exposed credentials: ION for DWM Continuously identifies credentials related to customer domain names that may have been exposed due to data breaches, criminal markets, or other external sources, helping organizations reduce the likelihood of account theft and unauthorized access.
• Detecting domain name squatting and brand impersonation: This service can detect suspicious domain names intended to mimic trusted brands and assess their potential risks, enabling organizations to identify and block phishing, fraud, and impersonation activities more promptly.
• Integrated Investigation and Response: Unlike traditional monitoring tools that only generate raw alerts, ION for DWM verify findings, assess relevance and severity, and operationalize them through the ION MXDR workflow. Approved response actions can be executed automatically according to preset rules, or under customer supervision.
• Unified security operations: External exposures will directly flow into Microsoft Sentinel and ION SecOps Platform. There, they will be investigated along with other security signals, and the same automated, detection, and response processes that support Ontinue Agentic SOC will be used.

Epiq, the Global Information Security Director, stated: "ION for Dark Web Monitoring have expanded the visibility beyond our existing tools, allowing us to better understand external risks and incorporate verified findings into the managed security operations that we already trust."

Reduce exposure risk through hosting methods

Many organizations receive threat intelligence sources and dark web monitoring alerts, but they lack the resources to investigate, determine relevance, or coordinate response actions. As a result, these vulnerabilities often remain unresolved until the attackers take advantage of them.

The design goal of ION, for, and Dark Web Monitoring is to fill this gap by providing a managed service experience, rather than another security dashboard. Each discovery undergoes expert review, context analysis, and operational response, helping security teams to focus on reducing risks rather than managing alerts.

IDC Senior Security and Trust Research Manager Yogesh Shivhare stated: "Dark web monitoring has evolved from an optional extra to an important component of mature MDR projects. Threat actors do not operate in isolation from their target organizations. Credential exposures, ransomware preparation activities, and brand impersonation on dark web forums often precede or accompany active intrusions. Research by IDC shows that approximately one-third of MDR customers worldwide have not yet incorporated dark web monitoring into their security practices, which represents a significant visibility gap at present. In an increasingly competitive landscape, proactive intelligence is key to distinguishing early detection from late-stage detection. Service providers that integrate dark web monitoring with analyst-driven intelligence and actionable removal capabilities are filling this gap by directly improving customer security outcomes."

Built for security operations centered around Microsoft

Based on the Microsoft priority security operation mode of Ontinue, it helps organizations to extend visibility beyond their environments without having to add another technical platform. Discovering, investigating, and responding to activities will become part of a unified security operation workflow, thereby reducing operational complexity while enhancing overall resilience.

ION for Dark Web Monitoring are now provided as additional services for ION MXDR customers.

For more information about Ontinue, please visit its Dark Web Monitoring page.

Other resources:

• Blog: Beyond Boundaries: What Has the Security Team Overlooked?
• Webinar: Ontinue Launches New Dark Web Monitoring Service for ION MXDR Customers

About Ontinue

As a leading provider of managed security operations driven by AI, Ontinue's mission is to make continuous security excellence accessible, not just unattainable, so that every organization can focus on what they do best. By combining advanced AI with profound human expertise, Ontinue offers managed security operations services tailored to each organization's unique environment, operational needs, and risk profile.

Ontinue's ION SecOps Platform integrates AI drive insights, automation, and real-time collaboration to continuously prevent, detect, and respond to threats. With its deep expertise in Microsoft security technologies, Ontinue helps customers maximize the value of their existing investments while achieving stronger and more scalable security outcomes.

Continuous protection. AI drives Nonstop SecOps. This is Ontinue.

Media Contact

Alison Raymond