COLUMBUS, Ohio — 10TV is learning more about the private information of thousands of people in central Ohio that was leaked on the dark web from the recent data breach.
Cybersecurity expert Connor Goodwolf said last week that 45% of the data stolen from the city of Columbus is now on the dark web.
So what happened to that other 55% of data? Goodwolf said hackers sold that data to a buyer.
Bret Hood, a former special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 25 years, is no stranger to cyberattacks. He gave insight into how the FBI could be handling the case for the city of Columbus.
“The FBI has contacts all throughout the world. So, it sounds like somebody hacked into Columbus' database and was able to retrieve that information. The first thing the FBI would have to do is try to figure out where the source was, who came in and where they are located. That takes a lot of effort,” said Hood.
He said ransomware is a popular cyber scheme.
“The FBI will never pay a ransom. They will leave it up to the entity involved. Whether the government, private business. That is their decision,” said Hood.
Mayor Andrew Ginther is still claiming the city was never asked for a ransom.
Goodwolf said the city of Columbus' data was for sale on the dark web.
“There was a timeline where they put the data up for auction and then expiration where the auction ended," Goodwolf said. "Someone had purchased 55% of the data and what was left over was the 45%. This is the data I downloaded from specific dark websites. This is publicly available, anyone can download it."
So who bought that 55%? That information is currently unknown, but the FBI is investigating.
Hood said what concerns him most so far with the stolen information is the data that came from the city’s prosecutor's office.
“The data leak from the city prosecutor’s office is pretty damning. There are all kinds of potential information out there whether it's informants, victims and associated identifying information that allows people who have less than honest thoughts to pursue those people. Maybe try to gain leverage with them or exploit them for uses,” said Hood.
Goodwolf showed 10TV new data Thursday from the prosecutor’s office database that's now on the dark web. It shows addresses, social security numbers, social media handles, phone numbers and even more personal information such as sexual orientation or housing status.
There is also juvenile's information and sealed cases available on the dark web.