Hacker economics
From Bits:
Pilfered credit card numbers and bank account PIN numbers have become commodities on shadowy Web sites where stolen digital information is bought and sold.
Company e-mail, business documents and personal health information are the new targets of choice for illegal hackers …
A couple of years ago, credit card numbers and bank account PINs sold for $100 or more on sites selling stolen information … Now, the price is down to $10 or $20, compared to $150 to $200 for some of the newer documents.
Ahh the wonders of competition never cease to amaze …
I wonder why personal health information is valuable? Blackmail?
3 Comments
Medical info is valuable to ID thieves who sell it to people who want to pretend they are someone else with health insurance. If I walk into an emergency room needing major surgery, I can avoid the bills if I give them all your insurance info and any background info to confirm ID.
Health ID Thief: Very interesting, thanks for the info.
Its interesting that Id thieves think ahead about the cost of health care and steal information to make them pass of as someone with better insurance cover. I am still wondering how they anticipate before hand that they will require surgery?