How Much is Your Personal Information Worth on the Dark Web?
Not everything on the dark web is illegal, but it is a huge marketplace for stolen data. After a data breach, personal information is often bought and sold by identity thieves looking to make money off your good name.
What Information Is Most Common and How Much Is It Worth?
The fact is, various pieces of information may be more valuable to criminals, and it depends on a variety of factors. Here are the 10 most common pieces of information sold and their general range of value:
- Social Security number: $1
- Credit or debit card: $5-$110
- With CVV number: $5
- With bank info: $15
- Fullz info: $30Note: Fullz info is a bundle of information that includes a "full" package for fraudsters: name, SSN, birth date, account numbers, and other data.
- Online payment services login info (e.g., Paypal): $20-$200
- Loyalty accounts: $20
- Subscription services: $1-$10
- Diplomas: $100-$400
- Driver's license: $20
- Passports (US): $1000-$2000
- Medical records: $1-$1000**Depends on how complete they are.
- General non-Financial Institution logins: $1
Note: Prices can vary and are an estimation based on reference articles and hands-on experience of Experian cyber analysts.
How Is This Information Purchased?
There are three main ways that personal information is commonly bought and sold on the dark web:
- Purchase data as a one-off, such as a Social Security number.
- Purchase bulk data, batches of the same types of information.
- Purchase bundled data, the "premium" package for identity thieves.
What Drives the Cost of Personal Information?
There are four main factors that drive the cost of information:
- Type of data and demand: Different types of information can bring different monetary values.
- Supply of the data: If there's a lower supply of particular information, it is more valuable.
- The balance of the accounts: The higher the amount that can be taken, the higher the cost.
- Limits or the ability to reuse: Information that has higher limits or can be reused is more valuable.
So, What Can You Do to Protect Yourself?
While data breaches are on the rise and outside of your control, you can practice good habits for your own personal information like maintaining healthy password practices and not sharing your personal information unless it's necessary.
It's also a good idea to keep your antivirus software and software updates on all devices current, as those updates may include important security patches.
