Hackers sell US voter database on dark web for 12 bitcoins

According to a report by Tech Insider, a hacker named DataDirect is selling a US voter database for 12 bitcoins (about $7,800) on a dark web bazaar called The Real Deal. The database is said to include the registration information of all voters in all 50 states. The Real Deal is one of the most popular dark web sites for cyber criminals, where they can buy and sell anything from drugs to software zero-day vulnerabilities.

DataDirect provided screenshots of the database, which includes many files ending in .json, which are apparently named after states, such as az.json for Arizona and fl.json for Florida. Another screenshot leaked voter information, including their full name, address, date of birth, phone number, date of registration to vote, state voter ID number, political party affiliation, and whether they had participated in a general election or primary election as far back as 2000.

Tech Insider did not find any Social Security numbers of voters in the database. It is unclear how DataDirect obtained the database. When asked, he said the source could not be disclosed because it might prevent them from obtaining more information in the future. Since the entire database is not available, there is no way to verify whether the information is true. However, the California voter data shown in the seller's screenshot is correct, including the man's name, age, address and phone number, which can be matched with public resources.

In addition, the size of the state database file seems to be related to the number of registered voters in the state. For example, the California database folder is 31MB, containing information on approximately 17 million voters. The Washington, D.C. database is even smaller, at only 880KB, suggesting that it has even fewer registered voters. The seller also gave the identity information of five random voters in the Florida database. After verifying their names, addresses, and phone numbers, they were all found to be true.

All voter registration information and screenshots of the seller's page show that the information was updated in 2014. This shows that the data may be an old version, even though it is only being sold now. It is currently impossible to infer the true value of this data because much voter information can be found on public search sites such as VoterRecords.com. However, in places with a large number of voters, such a database will be very useful.

It's hard to determine exactly where this database came from. Large databases like these are hacker jackpots that cybercriminals can use to further their scams. State voting networks have been hacked in the past, such as this week in Illinois. As more third-party companies share and sell these databases, it's harder to verify exactly where this database came from. This voter database can be used in many ways, such as direct email or telemarketing.

The U.S. Election Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.