The risk of personal and professional data being stolen by nefarious actors looms larger than ever, according to Trend Micro.
Understanding the risks associated with data theft, which include identity theft, financial loss, reputational harm, and the potential misuse of stolen information against individuals and organizations, is critical for gauging the profound impact and financial implications that data theft can bring about.
Marketplace data availability
Comparing the 16 most active infostealer malware variants across two dark web marketplaces (Russian Market and 2easy.shop), Trend Micro researchers composed a risk matrix.
It measured how “at risk” a piece of stolen data is once it ends up in the hands of a cyber-criminal or fraudster. Tied first were crypto wallets and website credentials—because they are among the most monetizable forms of data and the easiest to find on underground sites.
Other categories, like Wi-Fi credentials and desktop screenshots, are not as easy to sell/abuse, and were therefore categorized as less risky. Somewhere in the middle were credential types that are more specialized, like those for FTP and VPN software.
Google.com accounted for the largest volume of stolen website credentials sold on 2easy.shop, followed by Live.com, Facebook and Instagram.
“Crypto assets are like cash so users should put them in a digital safe. As for web credentials, threat actors can do concerning things with them, so use a password manager or similar,” advised Trend Micro Senior Threat Researcher, David Sancho. “Ultimately, end users and organizations need to know what data to care ..
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