Stolen data for sale: diving deep into the Dark Web
When a data breach takes place where does all that stolen credit card information go and how fast does it get there? These were questions California based data security company Bitglass posed themselves, and following a unique experiment, have come up with some very telling answers.
The company posted spreadsheets of mocked-up stolen credit card data complete with fictitious names, Social Security numbers, addresses and card numbers on Dark Web sites known for trading in illicit goods and data.
An invisible watermark was embedded allowing Bitglass to track where and when the file was downloaded and opened.
"You can’t see the watermark, but every time the file is viewed, it ‘calls home’ and registers that it’s been viewed at this IP address," said Bitglass CEO Nat Kausik.
Within days the file had been viewed more than 200 times and in 12 days it had been accessed over 1,000 times.
Within this time frame it had been seen in 22 different countries on five different continents.
"Countries frequently associated with cyber-criminal activity, including Russia, China and Brazil, were the most common access points for the identity data," the Bitglass ‘Where is your data?’ report said.
"Additionally, time, location and IP address analysis uncovered a high rate of activity among two groups of similar viewers, indicating the possibility of two cyber-crime syndicates, one operating within Nigeria and the other in Russia."
"Although the level of access after just 12 days was extraordinary, imagine how much further the data would spread in 205 days – which is the average time it takes for companies to detect a corporate data breach," it said.
The experiment showed there is an apparent thriving black market for trading in stolen information on the underground web.
"There seems to be a pretty lucrative market for stolen entities and credit card data," said Kausik.
The so-called Dark Web consists of thousands of websites not indexed by Google or other mainstream search engines and can only be accessed through anonymous networks.
In 2014, 783 data breaches were recorded, up 27.5% from the previous year.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
All eyes on Qatar as Qatar Airways leads a season of global events