Hacker selling off plundered information to criminals

Researchers at Dell have found that hackers are selling off user information at rates of $1,000 per record.

The company's SecureWorks subsidiary said that as hackers collect vital information on users, a trade in other data has emerged amongst cybercriminals.

According to research from SecureWorks, hackers are not only harvesting account credentials but are now looking to bundle information as full packages, referrred to by hackers as “fullz.”

The kits are said to include multiple forms of user identification, including social security numbers,

“A number of these marketplaces are serving as a one-stop shop for identity theft and fraud,” SecureWorks said in its report.

“Not only are they selling the stolen credentials, but they also sell the supporting (counterfeit) documentation or ("dox") for an extra charge.”

According to the researchers, the kits include user information ranging from social security and health insurance data to drivers license, address and social security numbers. Such packages have been sold between hackers for prices of up to $500.

Meanwhile, data drops which include online gaming accounts have been sold for even higher prices, fetching costs of up to $1000 when online gaming accounts such as PSN and Xbox Live credentials have been included.

“Our CTU researchers discover caches of stolen data frequently, and we have found that the hackers will steal anything they think they can sell on the underground,” said Dell SecureWorks counter threat unit researcher Don Jackson.

“Health insurance credentials continue to rise in value as we see the cost of health insurance and the cost of medical services continues to rise.”