Tenor
If you haven’t been the victim of a data breach yet, chances are you’re either incredibly careful about how you handle your personal information or you just haven’t been online long enough to fall for a scam.
But where does all of this information end up when it’s compromised? That’s what one cybersecurity company wanted to find out.
Beware of the dark web
You might have heard about the so-called “dark web,” which is home to all sorts of nefarious content and criminal organizations. For that reason, it might not be surprising that this massive network is teeming with stolen data. Here are some of the staggering stats:
- More than 2,500,000 personal records were being sold on the dark web as of early 2019 — nearly a million more than there were just a few months earlier.
- The typical file containing stolen data sells for about $120.
- Most of the records available on the dark web originated in Europe or North America.
- More than 4 million dark web users have purchased such data since 2013 — and that is expected to hit a whopping 25 million by 2025.
- Within the next three years, the total value of stolen data will likely top $1 trillion!
Dark web markets are only accessible to people with specific software and knowledge about how to find them. A typical search engine won’t get you there, but those in the market for stolen data are well-versed in the skills necessary to access these sites.
What you can do
Using strong passwords and regularly checking your credit report are great ways to keep your own exposure as low as possible. Additionally, businesses are doing more to protect consumers and their own corporate data by using encryption that can make any stolen data more difficult to decipher.
