2020 Election Cybersecurity Fears Boosted by New Hacked Voter Data in Dark Web Markets
Hacked Voter Data for 186 Million US Voters Highlights 2020 Election Cybersecurity Dangers
Concern about US 2020 Election cybersecurity have been growing, with experts raising red flags about potential cyberattacks and possible data security issues for both voters and election results. Some of those concerns are coming to fruition in the runup to November 3, as hacked voter data for an estimated 186 million US voters just made its debut on the Dark Web and ransomware is unleashed in a Georgia county impacting everything from a voter signature database to precinct maps.
Dark Web researchers uncovered this trove of data over the weekend in a Dark Web post selling the information. According to the seller, the information includes 245 million records containing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) including 186 million that contain voting registrations from around the country complete with the names, addresses, age, gender, and political affiliations – a boon for cybercriminals in today’s hot Dark Web data markets.
Exposed PII is More Dangerous Than You Think
The public availability of voter information varies from state to state, so some of this information is likely generally publically available if you know where to look. But not all of it is public information, and not conveniently gathered together in one handy bunch. This makes the database more attractive for bad actors as they execute election-related cybercrimes in the coming weeks or use this information in the future.
One major concern with this kind of information is the possibility of spear phishing. Cybercriminals can use this data to launch attacks that solicit “last-minute donations”, give out false information, steal more PII or financial information from voters, or craft other election-related campaigns. The information can also be used for attacks aimed at voter suppression and voter intimidation.
Data Like This Can Spell Trouble for Businesses
Information like this doesn’t seem like it would be a business concern, but you’d be wrong. Exposed employee PII is one major factor of what makes the Dark Web more dangerous for businesses every day. Not only can this PII be used for election-related phishing, but it can also be used for business-related phishing by allowing cybercriminals to hone in on their targets more precisely, especially when conducting whaling and business email compromise operations.
Protection Isn’t Out of Reach
Put Dark Web ID to work to protect your business from the effects of huge Dark Web data dumps or database sales that are full of PII. Your employee credentials are monitored 24/7/365 using human and machine analyzed, real-time validated data. If they appear in a data trove like this, we find out fast and you’re alerted immediately, allowing IT teams to close security gaps before the gad guys sneak through. Dark Web ID also enables you to protect your executives’ personal credentials, helping prevent information like this from powering a whaling attack that ends in disaster.
Don’t just hope that data dumps and information markets on the Dark Web aren’t full of information that increases your company’s risk – 60% of the information that is already on the Dark Web can harm businesses, and new data is added every day. Get Dark Web ID and get peace of mind that your company’s credentials aren’t floating around on the Dark Web today or tomorrow.