politics

Oregon Voter Data For Sale On Dark Web, Secretary Of State Says

By Conrad Wilson (OPB)
Portland, Oregon Oct. 16, 2018 5:16 p.m.

A 19-year-old is attempting to sell Oregon’s voter registration data on the dark web, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The data is publicly available from the Oregon Secretary of State for $500. But state law prohibits reselling it.

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Oregon is one of 19 states whose voter registration data the seller has and is attempting to sell on the encrypted dark web.

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“The database allegedly contains millions of phone numbers linked with full addresses, full names,” Leslie Reynolds, executive director of National Association of Secretary of States wrote to Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson on Monday.

Anomali Labs, a cyber-security firm, said an estimated 35 million voter records are for sale.

“To our knowledge, this represents the first reference on the criminal underground of actors selling or distributing lists of 2018 voter registration data, including U.S. voters’ personally identifiable information and voting history," the company said Monday.

"With the November 2018 midterm elections only four weeks away, the availability and currency of the voter records, if combined with other breached data, could be used by malicious actors to disrupt the electoral process or pursue large-scale identity theft."

Richardson's office said it has referred the matter to the FBI and the Oregon Department of Justice.

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