Michelle Obama And Other Public Figures’ Private Data Hacked From Data Broker Giants

[inch4progress]

Source: International Business Times

In a massive security breach, private data of many famous people in the U.S. were stolen by hackers from the networks of the country’s three major data brokers, a seven-month investigation by security researcher Brian Krebs reveals.

It was discovered in March that a website called exposed.su, which has now been closed, published social security numbers, birth records, and credit and background reports of many prominent Americans, including First Lady Michelle Obama, Bill Gates, Beyonce Knowles, Jay-Z, Ashton Kutcher and many others.

Although the FBI began its own investigation on the matter, Krebs also tracked the leaked information and found that exposed.su had bought the data from another website called ssndob.ms, or SSNDOB, which used to advertise itself as a market for confidential information and sold private data for prices ranging from 50 cents to $15.

According to Krebs, SSNDOB acquired the private information from a “small but very potent” botnet -- a set of compromised computers -- that can be controlled remotely by attackers.

Read more: http://www.ibtimes.com/michelle-obama-other-public-figures-private-data-hacked-data-broker-giants-1411760

---

The landscape is changing. We can no longer feel secure knowing that locked doors and a security guard will keep out snoopers. In the ever changing internet world data is easier to grab and much harder to secure.

[Downwinder]

1. When the people tasked with making the net secure are making it

Last edited Sat Sep 28, 2013, 01:00 AM - Edit history (1)

more insecure, what can we expect. NSA should be using their hacking expertise to expose insecurities and help secure systems instead of trying to make data more insecure.

[JDPriestly]

3. My opinion also.

The internet should be secure for all of us.

I wonder how these celebrities feel about having their information hacked. I'm not very important in the world, but still, I like my privacy even though no one in their right mind would be interested in my life.

I think that is true of most people.

[inch4progress]

4. Right.

I know I've got pictures on my cell phone I don't really want anyone seeing, but Id show the pictures to a stranger in a second if it means keeping my life.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. NSA Insecurity opens doors for mafia, Chinese, Russky, Romanian, and NKorea hackers. nt

[blkmusclmachine]

2. Meh.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. meh?

[defacto7]

5. Too easy

Thank you M$

Thank you Apple

Thank you Google

And thanks to all the other proprietary manufacturers and programmers who took the free and secure, bludgeoned it, stripped it, and poked holes in it because you didn't know what else to do to make it work at the same time control its use, enslave the public, and make an unrealistic profit at the peril and the future of the Internet as well as the general good of humankind.

This is pure unadulterated sarcasm.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. The only ones to not care are the ones who don't DO anything online.

[grahamhgreen]

7. A super uber secret spook told me once....

Once information is typed into a keyboard it is no longer secure.

[fasttense]

10. Maybe our government will do something now that the uber rich have been hacked.

I've had my credit card number stolen 4 times in the last 5 years. I do a fair amount of internet purchases with it. But every time it was stolen I fought off the charges and got a new number and nothing was done about it. One time the VA accidentally released my private info. I think the NSA info they gathered on every American was used by some of those hired contractors to profit from. Now that the uber rich are being slightly bothered, maybe our police and justice department will focus on the problem and NOT simply spy on us.

[inch4progress]

11. Really?

I think the NSA info they gathered on every American was used by some of those hired contractors to profit from.

That's something I haven't yet read in any of the articles so far. How did you find out about that?

[bobGandolf]

12. One good thing about not being rich...

they can hack me all they want there's nothing worth stealing.