How much is your information worth on the dark web?
When it comes to our personal information, a common feeling is that, “No one is interested in me and my information.” Of course we know that does not apply to financial information but a recent article in The Register spells out exactly how much our information is worth to those with bad intents towards using it.
The article is an interesting look into what malicious users consider valuable. In “crypto lingo”, as The Register puts it, a person’s entire identity is called “fullz” and is worth £820, 922.84€, or $1135.78 USD. That is a substantial amount of money and illustrates just how important our identies are to the bad guys.
Of course, the fullz includes government id’s financial details, and so forth. But even less complete versions of our personal identities have value. Aside from bank details, identity thieves will pay for Airbnb account information, Match.com logins, eBay account data, and PayPal login information. Presently, PayPal accounts are the most widely traded and bring £280, 315.12€, or $387.83 USD, more than a bank account’s information (£168, 189.07€, or $232.70 USD).
Why would an identity thief be interested in things like an eBay account or Match.com for that matter? Again, they can be used for financial gain. You may store a credit card on your eBay account or it may be saved automatically. As for Match.com, the thieves can strike up a relationship in hopes of eventually gaining access to financial information.
Social media accounts were of fairly low value even though phishing can happen there. Passport information “only” brings £40, 45.02€, or $55.40 USD, something this author found puzzling. As for hacking an Airbnb account, the thief could stay at high end properties free and rob them or collect the fees on other properties.
The Register has a link to a more complete list of what our personal information can bring on the dark web. Check it out if you have an interest.
Now that you know what your information is worth if it gets stolen, it helps you make a financial comparison on how much to pay for protecting your information, identity, and privacy. Looking at the numbers, we think you’ll find an ounce of prevention (the CRIP.TO solution) is worth a pound, Euro, or USD of cure.
CRIP.TO offers the highest level of encryption, anonymity, and personal identity protection for communications and transactions over the internet available anywhere. Take the first steps in protecting yours by learning more at www.crip.to.
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Originally published at crip.to.
