information:highlighting
For consumers

After a data breach, criminals make money by selling data, such as usernames, passwords, social media or customer loyalty account information, debit and credit card numbers, and personal health information (see medical data breach). Criminals often sell this data on the dark web —parts of the internet where it is difficult to trace users and illicit activity is widespread—using platforms like.onion or I2P. Originating in the 2000s, the dark web, followed by untraceable cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin in the 2010s, made it possible for criminals to sell data obtained in breaches with minimal risk of getting caught, facilitating an increase in hacking. One popular darknet marketplace, Silk Road, was shut down in 2013 and its operators arrested, but several other marketplaces emerged in its place. Telegram is also a popular forum for illegal sales of data.