• Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
MUST READ

Qantas data breach impacted 5.7 million individuals

 | 

DoNot APT is expanding scope targeting European foreign ministries

 | 

Nippon Steel Solutions suffered a data breach following a zero-day attack

 | 

Iranian group Pay2Key.I2P ramps Up ransomware attacks against Israel and US with incentives for affiliates

 | 

Hackers weaponize Shellter red teaming tool to spread infostealers

 | 

Microsoft Patch Tuesday security updates for July 2025 fixed a zero-day

 | 

Italian police arrested a Chinese national suspected of cyberespionage on a U.S. warrant

 | 

U.S. CISA adds MRLG, PHPMailer, Rails Ruby on Rails, and Synacor Zimbra Collaboration Suite flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

IT Worker arrested for selling access in $100M PIX cyber heist

 | 

New Batavia spyware targets Russian industrial enterprises

 | 

Taiwan flags security risks in popular Chinese apps after official probe

 | 

U.S. CISA adds Google Chromium V8 flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog

 | 

Hunters International ransomware gang shuts down and offers free decryption keys to all victims

 | 

SECURITY AFFAIRS MALWARE NEWSLETTER ROUND 52

 | 

Security Affairs newsletter Round 531 by Pierluigi Paganini – INTERNATIONAL EDITION

 | 

North Korea-linked threat actors spread macOS NimDoor malware via fake Zoom updates

 | 

Critical Sudo bugs expose major Linux distros to local Root exploits

 | 

Google fined $314M for misusing idle Android users' data

 | 

A flaw in Catwatchful spyware exposed logins of +62,000 users

 | 

China-linked group Houken hit French organizations using zero-days

 | 
  • Home
  • Cyber Crime
  • Cyber warfare
  • APT
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Hacktivism
  • Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Laws and regulations
  • Malware
  • Mobile
  • Reports
  • Security
  • Social Networks
  • Terrorism
  • ICS-SCADA
  • POLICIES
  • Contact me
  • Home
  • Breaking News
  • Cyber Crime
  • Data Breach
  • Deep Web
  • Digital ID
  • Hacking
  • Do Businesses Know When They’re Using Unethical Data?

Do Businesses Know When They’re Using Unethical Data?

Pierluigi Paganini August 04, 2018

Data breaches are costly for businesses that expterience them, this data fuel the black markets and sometime are offered to complanies as legitimate data.

Data breaches are extraordinarily costly for businesses that experience them, both concerning reputational damage and money spent to repair the issues associated with those fiascos. And, on the consumer side of things, the scary thing is hackers don’t just steal data for notoriety. They do it to profit, typically by selling the snatched details online.

But, then, are other businesses aware of times when the data they just bought might have been stolen instead of legally obtained?

People Can Access Most of the Relevant Black Market Sites on Standard Browsers

There was a time when venturing into the world of the online black market typically meant downloading encryption software that hid the identity of users. However, most black market transactions happen on the “open” web so that it’s possible to access the respective sites via browsers like Firefox and Chrome without downloading special software first.

That means business representatives aren’t safe from coming across stolen data if they decide only to browse the internet normally. However, the kind of information advertised on the open web should be enough to raise eyebrows by itself. It often contains credit card information or sensitive medical details — not merely names, email addresses or phone numbers.

Companies can reduce the chances of unknowingly benefiting from stolen data by not proceeding with purchases if they contain private, not readily obtainable details.

Illegitimate Sellers Avoid Giving Payment Details

Even when people seek to profit by peddling stolen data, their desire to make money typically isn’t stronger than their need to remain anonymous. Most criminals who deal with data from illegal sources don’t reveal their names even when seeking payment. They’ll often request money through means that allow keeping their identities secret, such as Bitcoin.

Less Information, More Suspicion

If companies encounter data sellers that stay very secretive about how they get their data and whether it is in compliance with data protection and sharing standards, those are red flags.

However, even when data providers do list information about how they obtain data, it’s a good idea to validate the data on your own. For example, if you get calling data from a third-party provider, you should always check it against current Do Not Call lists.

Dark Web Monitoring Services Exist

As mentioned above, stolen data frequently works its way through the open web rather than the dark web. However, it’s still advisable for companies to utilize monitoring services that search the dark web for stolen data. The market for such information is lucrative, and some clients pay as much as $150,000 annually for such screening measures. If businesses provide data that comes up as originating from the dark web, that’s a strong indicator that it came from unethical sources.

data breaches

Do Legitimate Companies Create the Demand for Stolen Data?

It’s difficult to quantify how many reputable companies might be purchasing stolen data. If they do it knowingly, such a practice breaks the law. And, even if it happens without their knowledge, that’s still a poor reflection on those responsible. It means they didn’t carefully check data sources and sellers before going through with a purchase.

Unfortunately, analysts believe it happens frequently. After data breaches occur, some of the affected companies discover their data being sold online and buy it back. When hackers realize even those who initially had the data seized will pay for it, they realize there’s a demand for their criminal actions.

After suffering data breaches, some companies even ask their own employees to find stolen data and buy it back.

Most use intermediary parties, though representatives at major companies, including PayPal, acknowledge that this process of compensating hackers for the data they took occurs regularly. They say it’s part of the various actions that happen to protect customers — or to prevent them from knowing breaches happened at all.

If companies can find and recover their stolen data quickly enough, customers might never realize hackers had their details. That’s especially likely, since affected parties often don’t hear about breaches until months after companies do, giving those entities ample time to locate data and offer hackers a price for it.

Plus, it’s important to remember that companies pay tens of thousands of dollars to recover their data after ransomware attacks, too.

Should Businesses Bear the Blame?

When companies buy data that’s new to them, they should engage in the preventative measures above to verify its sources and check that it’s not stolen. Also, although businesses justify buying compromised data back from hackers, they have to remember that by doing so, they are stimulating demand — and that makes them partially to blame.

Instead of spending money to retrieve data that hackers take, those dollars would be better spent cracking down on the vulnerabilities that allow breaches to happen so frequently.

About the author

Kayla Matthews is a technology and cybersecurity writer, and the owner of ProductivityBytes.com. To learn more about Kayla and her recent projects, visit her About Me page.

 

 

[adrotate banner=”9″] [adrotate banner=”12″]

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs – stolan data, data breach)

[adrotate banner=”5″]

[adrotate banner=”13″]


facebook linkedin twitter

Cybercrime Dark Web Data-breaches Hacking Pierluigi Paganini Security Affairs

you might also like

Pierluigi Paganini July 10, 2025
Qantas data breach impacted 5.7 million individuals
Read more
Pierluigi Paganini July 10, 2025
DoNot APT is expanding scope targeting European foreign ministries
Read more

leave a comment

newsletter

Subscribe to my email list and stay
up-to-date!

    recent articles

    Qantas data breach impacted 5.7 million individuals

    Data Breach / July 10, 2025

    DoNot APT is expanding scope targeting European foreign ministries

    APT / July 10, 2025

    Nippon Steel Solutions suffered a data breach following a zero-day attack

    Data Breach / July 09, 2025

    Iranian group Pay2Key.I2P ramps Up ransomware attacks against Israel and US with incentives for affiliates

    Malware / July 09, 2025

    Hackers weaponize Shellter red teaming tool to spread infostealers

    Malware / July 09, 2025

    To contact me write an email to:

    Pierluigi Paganini :
    pierluigi.paganini@securityaffairs.co

    LEARN MORE

    QUICK LINKS

    • Home
    • Cyber Crime
    • Cyber warfare
    • APT
    • Data Breach
    • Deep Web
    • Digital ID
    • Hacking
    • Hacktivism
    • Intelligence
    • Internet of Things
    • Laws and regulations
    • Malware
    • Mobile
    • Reports
    • Security
    • Social Networks
    • Terrorism
    • ICS-SCADA
    • POLICIES
    • Contact me

    Copyright@securityaffairs 2024

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities...
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT