BEWARE THE INTERNET OF SHIT!
In a blow to consumers' privacy, the addresses and demographic details of more than 80 million US households were exposed on an unsecured database stored on the cloud, independent security researchers have found.
The details included names, ages and genders as well as income levels and marital status. The researchers, led by Noam Rotem and Ran Locar, were unable to identify the owner of the database, which until Monday was online and required no password to access. Some of the information was coded, like gender, marital status and income level. Names, ages and addresses were not coded.
The data didn't include payment information or Social Security numbers. The 80 million households affected make up well over half of the households in the US, according to Statista.
"I wouldn't like my data to be exposed like this," Rotem said in an interview with CNET. "It should not be there."
Rotem and his team verified the accuracy of some data in the cache but didn't download the data to minimize the invasion of privacy of those listed, he said.
It's one more example of a widespread problem with cloud data storage, which has revolutionized how we store valuable information. Many organizations don't have the expertise to secure the data they keep on internet-connected servers, resulting in repeated exposures of sensitive data. Earlier in April, a researcher revealed that patient information from drug addiction treatment centers was exposed on an unsecured database. Another researcher found a giant cache of Facebook user data stored by third-party companies on another database that was publicly visible.
"I wouldn't like my data to be exposed like this. It should not be there."
cnet.com
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