The Legal Sale of Personal Data: A Growing Threat to Cybersecurity
How your personal data is being sold legally online - and used by hackers to steal millions

Image: Mail Online
A recent report highlights that hackers are increasingly exploiting publicly available personal data from legal data brokers to execute social engineering attacks. Major companies like Jaguar Land Rover and Marks and Spencer have suffered significant losses due to these tactics, which target employees' personal information to gain unauthorized access.
- 0196% of cybersecurity leaders reported an increase in social engineering attacks over the past year.
- 02Around 80% of attacks targeted IT staff, while 42% targeted executives and 33% targeted help desk personnel.
- 0398% of respondents identified data broker sites as the primary source of information for hackers.
- 04The Optery survey included over 420 cybersecurity leaders, revealing that 77% believe their employees' data is exposed online.
- 05High-profile incidents include attacks on Jaguar Land Rover and US airlines, leading to national security alerts.
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A recent survey by Optery reveals that hackers are increasingly turning to legal data broking websites to gather personal information for social engineering attacks. This shift in tactics poses a significant threat to companies, with 96% of cybersecurity leaders reporting an uptick in such attacks over the past year. Notably, 80% of these attacks are aimed at IT staff, while 42% target executives. The report indicates that 98% of respondents see data broker sites, like Whitepages and 192.com, as the primary source of intelligence for hackers, overshadowing social media and the dark web. High-profile incidents, including those affecting Jaguar Land Rover and Marks and Spencer, demonstrate the severe consequences of these breaches, with billions lost in revenue. Lawrence Gentilello, CEO of Optery, emphasized that attackers utilize commercially available data to identify and target employees, highlighting the urgent need for companies to safeguard their data and enhance their cybersecurity measures.
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Companies face increased vulnerability to cyberattacks due to the exposure of employee data.
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