Slashdot Mirror
US Voter Records From 19 States Is Being Sold on a Hacking Forum, Threat Intelligence Firms Say (zdnet.com)
Catalin Cimpanu, reporting for ZDNet: The voter information for approximately 35 million US citizens is being peddled on a popular hacking forum, two threat intelligence firms have discovered. "To our knowledge this represents the first reference on the criminal underground of actors selling or distributing lists of 2018 voter registration data," said researchers from Anomali Labs and Intel471, the two companies who spotted the forum ad.
The two companies said they've reviewed a sample of the database records and determined the data to be valid with a "high degree of confidence." Researchers say the data contains details such as full name, phone numbers, physical addresses, voting history, and other voting-related information. It is worth noting that some states consider this data public and offer it for download for free, but not all states have this policy.
The two companies said they've reviewed a sample of the database records and determined the data to be valid with a "high degree of confidence." Researchers say the data contains details such as full name, phone numbers, physical addresses, voting history, and other voting-related information. It is worth noting that some states consider this data public and offer it for download for free, but not all states have this policy.
Keep in mind, that the "voting history" in the summary is easy to sensationalize. In most cases it only means you were issued a ballot, and possibly for mail-in ballots that you returned it. No state has a history of what actual voting selections were made.
"US Voter Records From 19 States Is Being Sold on a Hacking Forum...It is worth noting that some states consider this data public and offer it for download for free, but not all states have this policy."
Why am I willing to bet that 19 states do have this policy, turning this "hacking" story into nothing more than clickbait?
We used to get pissed when "hacking" was mislabeled or misunderstood. Now we're just pissed that no one has a fucking clue what a hack is anymore because everyone is labeling every stupid little thing as hacking. Found a shortcut to work? You "hacked" your commute. Used a microwave instead of the stove? You "hacked" your dinner prep. Downloaded free public information? You "hacked" the voting public.
Enough of the "hacking" shit already.
The last few election cycles, the Pennsylvania GOP has been targeting democrats and non-voters in Republican heavy areas by sending out threatening letters containing a list of your neighbors, who they registered for, and if they voted, and threatening to send the neighbors similar letters after the election if you don't switch parties and vote.