"Darknet Markets Generate Millions in Revenue Selling Stolen Personal Data, Supply Chain Study Finds"
According to a study conducted by researchers from the University of South Florida and Georgia State University, stolen data products, like most legal commodities, pass through a supply chain that includes producers, wholesalers, and consumers. However, this supply chain is linked by multiple criminal organizations operating in illegal underground marketplaces. The supply chain for stolen data starts with producers, who are hackers exploiting vulnerable systems to steal sensitive information such as credit card numbers, bank account information, and Social Security numbers. The stolen data is advertised by wholesalers and distributors who sell it. Consumers buy the data and use it to commit various types of fraud, such as fraudulent credit card transactions, identity theft, and phishing attacks. The trafficking of stolen data between producers, wholesalers, and consumers is made possible by darknet markets, which are websites that look like regular eCommerce sites but can only be accessed with special browsers or authorization codes. On 30 darknet markets, the researchers discovered thousands of vendors selling tens of thousands of stolen data products. Over an eight-month period, these vendors generated more than $140 million in revenue. The researchers conducted the most comprehensive systematic examination of stolen data markets that they are aware of in order to better understand the size and scope of this illicit online ecosystem. They began by identifying 30 darknet markets that advertised stolen data products. Then, for eight months, from September 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021, they extracted information about stolen data products from the markets on a weekly basis. This data was then used to calculate the number of vendors selling stolen data products, the number of stolen data products advertised, the number of products sold, and the amount of revenue generated. In total, 2,158 vendors advertised at least one of the 96,672 product listings across the 30 marketplaces. Marketplaces had an average of 109 unique vendor aliases and 3,222 product listings for stolen data products. There were 632,207 recorded sales across these markets, generating a total revenue of $140,337,999. This article continues to discuss the study on the generation of millions in revenue in darknet markers selling stolen personal data.