Social Network of Information: How Threat Actors Take Advantage of Social Media
Social media platforms serve many important functions like connecting long distance family members, reconnecting old friends, finding jobs, and more. However, as they store and encourage sharing personal information such as birthdays, locations, and hobbies, the wrong person putting these pieces together can lead to harmful repercussions. Social media companies hold millions of peoples’ personal […]
Threat Spotlight: Dark Web Data Breaches
Executive Summary There are 10 billion stolen credentials on the dark web. They continue to be one of the top means of compromise for cyberattacks and could lead to disastrous data breaches for individuals and organizations. Flare’s Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer Yohan Trépanier Montpetit and Director of Marketing Eric Clay talk through the findings […]
Threat Spotlight: Cyber Warfare & Security in the 21st Century
Executive Summary Michael Morell is a career intelligence analyst with decades of experience in national cybersecurity. He’s served in roles like Former Deputy Director and twice Acting Director of the CIA from 2009 to 2013. Norman Menz, CEO of Flare, co-founded the third-party risk management provider Prevalent, before joining AI-driven vulnerability management startup Delve as […]
Threat Spotlight: Key Trends in Illicit Communities
Executive Summary Over the years, we’ve been monitoring illicit communities on the clear web, dark web, and instant messaging platforms, and observing interesting trends. These trends have also given us an idea of what to expect going into 2023. Check out our full webinar recording, Illicit Communities in 2022: Key Trends to Monitor for Illicit […]
Dark Web Statistics to Illuminate Your Cybersecurity Approach
Happy Cybersecurity Awareness Month! The dark web can seem like a haunted house with mysteries in each corner. However, addressing facts and statistics about it can help you and your cybersecurity team prevent attacks. We’ve collected some spooky dark web statistics and facts to better inform your cybersecurity practices. 1. The Flare database has monitored […]
Threat Spotlight: Leaked Credentials and Geography
Executive Summary Leaked credentials are the cause of many cyberattacks, and the number of them on the dark web continues to grow rapidly: there are over 10 billion unique username password combinations once duplicates and combo lists have been removed. Flare has been monitoring and archiving the dark web for over 5 years, which has […]
Threat Spotlight: Leaked Credentials
Executive Overview Stolen credentials continue to represent the primary means of compromise for the majority of data breaches and cyberattacks. The number of leaked credentials on the dark web has also expanded considerably, approaching over 10 billion unique username password combinations once duplicates and combo lists have been removed. We looked into stolen credentials for […]
5 Hotspots for Threat Actor Activity
Where are malicious actors hiding on the web? Though it might seem like they’re mostly on the dark web, they can be hiding in plain sight on the clear web too. They can lurk on websites and messaging platforms you may use, like Telegram or Discord. By understanding how malicious actors can take advantage of […]
Threat Spotlight: Illicit Telegram Markets & OTP Bots
Executive Summary The threat landscape is rapidly changing. Threat actors who traditionally bought and sold malware, login credentials, and sensitive information on markets found on TOR (The Onion Router) are increasingly moving off of the “dark web” and on to clear web sites and instant messaging platforms such as Discord and Telegram. In today’s threat […]
Threat Spotlight: Infected Devices & the Growing Threat of Stealer Malware
This article was updated on July 24, 2025 with updated information Infected device markets continue to grow on both the clear and dark web. Essentially these markets sell access to infected computers & browser fingerprints that can be used by threat actors to compromise online accounts. Even unsophisticated threat actors can purchase browser fingerprints for […]
