Cybercriminals threaten UK gun owners’ home addresses to be released in Google Earth after a Guntrader firearms data have leaked

September 6, 2021
Cybercriminals UK gun owners Guntrader firearms data leak image 2

Over 100,000 British firearm owner names and house addresses have been leaked online in a Google Earth-compatible CSV file that identifies homes as firearms storage sites – a tight situation being placed upon the Guntrader breach victims. 

An infosec case study is expected to be implemented following the endangering of public safety due to the intensity of data theft, such as how the Guntrader database leak occurred. It will help identify how security break-ins worsen over time and stolen data is exploited to a more invasive practice. 

 

Through an animal rights activist blog, the stolen reformatted Guntrader database was leaked last week.

 

It was also overtly promoted as importable into Google Earth so that random actors can reach as many firearm owners as they want in any location and interrogate them with their involvement in the illegal animal shooting.  The included information of the leaked database in the Google Drive-hosted CSV file consists of names, addresses, mobile/telephone numbers, postal codes, email addresses, and IP addresses.  

The said activist’s blog linked to the file is a Clearnet site hosted from Iceland. It exposes a rigorous risk towards British firearm certificated holders and to people who moved to one of the house addresses included in the stolen database.   

One of the shooters involved has reached out to The Register. The person said his details are included in the stolen database. However, it points to his parents’ house address instead of his own. 

Some licensed firearm owners are hoping that the recent events and developments regarding the issue will be overlooked. However, as reports from July said, cybercriminals plotting the locations on a map is certain to happen sometime in the future. 

Researchers have asked Guntrader why they are gathering location details down to even the slightest decimal places. Some law firms may take advantage of the data leak situation, but it is improbable how any of the cases will advance into a High Court representative action.  

 

Recent updates 

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has reached out to express their concern with the development of the issue and said that they have already flagged the problems towards the National Crime Agency. For now, they highly advise the shooting community to remain attentive and secure themselves and report to the police if anything suspicious happens. 

In addition, Google has already removed the CSV file containing the stolen database coming from the mentioned blog of an activist. 

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