While many people have heard of, or even fallen victim to, cybercrimes such as data and identity theft, relatively few know the true value of the information that can be stolen. Although the resale value of personal data is relatively low, cybercriminals can still put it to use and cause significant problems for victims. Individuals whose data has been stolen could lose money, face a damaged reputation, be held liable for debt that somebody else incurred in their name, or even be accused of a crime that somebody else has committed using their identity as a cover.
Through its investigation, Kaspersky Lab researchers found that criminals still have an appetite for personal data stolen from popular services, even if it does not come with a high price tag. For under $50, criminals can sell a person’s complete digital life on the dark web, including data from breached social media accounts; banking details; remote access to servers or desktops; data from popular services like Uber, Netflix, and Spotify; and accounts for gaming websites, dating apps and porn websites, which might store credit card information.