Automatically Notifying Customers
"Proactive Dark Web Alert Service: Transforming Security Risks into Customer Trust
Executive Summary
Our SOC can now proactively notify our customers if their credentials appear on the dark web. This innovative program moves beyond simply protecting our own infrastructure, to actively safeguarding our customers' digital identities, positioning our organization as a trusted and proactive security partner.
This document outlines the strategic business benefits, and provides justification for approving this program.
The Problem: The Silent Supply Chain Threat
When our customers are compromised, our business is at risk. Attackers routinely use credentials stolen from one service to attack interconnected businesses, a technique known as supply chain attacks.
The Scenario: A hacker steals the password of [email protected] from a breached social media site
The Threat: The attacker uses [email protected] and the same password to access our customer portal, support system, or cloud services
The Result: Our infrastructure becomes the attack vector, leading to potential data theft, fraud, and reputational damage
The Solution: Proactive Customer Alerts
Through our integrated Dark Web Monitoring, we can identify our customers' corporate email addresses and associated credentials being traded or leaked on criminal forums. This service enables us to proactively alert affected customers before these credentials can be weaponized against our infrastructure.
Key Business Benefits
1. Build Customer Trust & Loyalty Go beyond traditional SLAs to become a true security partner. Providing timely alerts to customers, especially when breaches originate outside our services, demonstrates exceptional vigilance and care.
Benefit: Increases customer retention, and strengthens relationships
Customer Message: "We're watching out for you, even when the threat isn't our fault"
2. Protect Our Infrastructure & Data By ensuring our customers use uncompromised credentials, we directly reduce unauthorized access to our systems. This strengthens our security posture at its most vulnerable point, customer login portals.
Benefit: Reduces account takeover attacks, fraud attempts, and data breaches
Outcome: Creates a more secure environment for all customers, and our business
3. Drive Operational Efficiency Preventing account compromises before they occur reduces password reset requests, support tickets for suspicious activity, and full-scale incident investigations.
Benefit: Lowers operational overhead for IT and support teams
Result: Frees resources to focus on strategic initiatives
4. Generate Competitive Advantage This service provides a tangible, innovative offering that most competitors lack, creating compelling opportunities for our sales and marketing teams.
Benefit: Becomes a key selling point for new customer acquisition
Opportunity: Enables premium service tier positioning
Customer Communication: A Trust-Building Approach
Alerts are framed as value-added services rather than security failures. This communication:
Positions us as a guardian rather than a culprit
Encourages customers to use secure computers for password resets
Protects our portals from unauthorized access
Summary of Value & Approval Justification
Enhanced Customer Trust & Retention
Reduces churn, improves NPS scores, and strengthens relationships
High - Direct impact on lifetime customer value, and revenue retention
Proactive Infrastructure Protection
Reduces fraud, account takeover, and supply chain attacks on our systems
Direct - Lowers incident response costs, and potential breach-related fines
Operational Efficiency
Decreases ticket volume for password resets, and security investigations
Measurable - Frees up security, and support resources
Competitive Differentiation
Provides a unique, marketable feature that wins deals
Strategic - Positions the company as an innovative security leader
Recommendation
We recommend approving the implementation of the Proactive Dark Web Alert Service because it:
Transforms a security capability into a strategic customer success tool
Directly protects corporate assets by preventing credential-based attacks
Is a low-risk, high-reward initiative that builds immense goodwill
This service is included with our SIEM platform, requiring no additional investment, only the internal approval to begin strengthening our customer partnerships in this innovative way."
Last updated