Examples of Cyber Criminal attacks on organizations
Data brokers, entities that collect and sell personal information, have become a prime target for cybercriminals. The data they amass is a treasure trove for malicious actors, leading to significant breaches and substantial financial losses for both individuals and organizations. Many people ask, “How do hackers use data brokers?” or “Can data brokers cause data breaches?”—and the answer is yes, with serious consequences.
Some notable Examples of such incidents include:
Ascension Health: In 2024, the Russia-linked ransomware group Black Basta attacked this major U.S. healthcare system, disrupting operations across 140 hospitals. Sensitive patient and employee data, including medical records and Social Security numbers, was compromised. This is one of the most concerning examples of how cybercriminals use data brokers and breached data to cause chaos within healthcare infrastructure.
Interactive Data: This Florida-based data broker gathered and sold extensive personal information, including Social Security numbers and addresses. Criminals exploited this data to file fraudulent loan applications and unemployment claims, causing millions in losses for the federal government. If you’ve ever wondered, “How hackers get your information from data brokers?”, this is a real-life scenario showing the devastating impact.
National Public Data: A major data broker, National Public Data suffered a breach that exposed 2.9 billion records. The stolen data—including names, addresses, and Social Security numbers—was sold on the dark web for $3.5 million. The breach resulted in the company's closure and remains a powerful example of what happens when data brokers are hacked.
Exactis: Nearly 340 million people's information, including sensitive personal details, was exposed through an unsecured server, making it a prime target for cybercriminals. It’s a stark reminder that real-life data broker breach examples are not uncommon—and they can happen silently, without users ever realizing their data is at risk.
Apollo: This data broker was hacked, and billions of data points, including email addresses, were exposed. This information was likely used in phishing and other cyberattacks, a clear illustration of how stolen data from brokers is used in cyber attacks.
LimeLeads: Due to a server misconfiguration, 49 million records were exposed and appeared on a criminal hacking forum, potentially enabling identity theft and fraud. It’s incidents like these that leave people asking, “Is my data on the dark web from a broker breach?”
Social Data: This company scraped millions of records from platforms like Instagram and TikTok, exposing 235 million profiles on an unsecured server. This kind of exposure makes it easy for scammers to run targeted scams using data broker information—especially when the profiles come from social platforms people use every day.
People Data Labs and Oxydata: An unsecured server exposed 1.2 billion records, including phone numbers and email addresses, raising concerns about the security practices of these data brokers. This further highlights which data brokers have been hacked and why there's growing public demand to know “How to protect yourself from data brokers.”
These incidents underscore the significant risks associated with data brokers and the ease with which cybercriminals can exploit their vulnerabilities, causing harm to both individuals and organizations. In a time when people are asking “Why are data brokers bad?” and “What info do data brokers have on me?”, these examples show just how much is at stake.
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