Another US Voter Database Leak | Hacker News Reader

Another US Voter Database Leak

mackeeper.com

20 pointsr72114 comments

MacKeeper.com?

Here's what MacKeeper is — and why you should avoid it http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-mackeeper-and-should-...

MacKeeper Leaks 13 Million Mac Owners' Data, Leaves Passwords Open To Easy Cracking http://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2015/12/14/mackee...

MacKeeper to pay out $2M in proposed class action settlement http://appleinsider.com/articles/15/08/10/mackeeper-to-pay-o...

What 'MacKeeper' is and why you should avoid it http://www.imore.com/avoid-mackeeper

Do not install MacKeeper https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3691

I did a double take when I saw the url.

Even weirder, the article claims to have been written by Chris Vickery, who discovered MacKeeper's unprotected user database(!). Did they hire him?

i have never heard of vickery, however his contact information lists a kromtech email address. Kromtech has an our products section which lists mackeeper, trackmymac and memorykeeper.

https://kromtech.com

Wait Mackeeper is a legitimate company?

I am just as surprised as you are. I had skipped the link assuming it was some very optimistic phishing ploy until I saw your comment.

No, it's not

This data is generally public, right?

Unless it's a dataset that is linked to other metadata, I don't get the big deal here. In my state, I'm pretty sure you just walk in and can see the voter rolls without even a FOIA request.

In some states (but not necessarily all counties in the state) you can search voter rolls online. With a last name you get someone's address, which elections they've voted in, and what party they registered as in the primary. It's been a while since I've checked, but a phone number may also be available.

Totally get that. Candidates and parties have much more data. They link people to all sorts of datasets. DMV, public employee rosters, union membership, etc.

If a good political operation needs to engage with a bunch of gay teachers with household incomes >$100k who drive trucks and own a home, they can ID those people.

Basic voter file data is available from many states directly under FOIA, sometimes for free. It's public records. If there are secrets that shouldn't be disclosed in these records, the bad guys already have them.

Didn't click the link because it's from MacKeeper. It's safe to read, right?

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:XGoq5F... google cached

Much appreciated. I'm surprised the submission hasn't gotten flagged given the notorious reputation of MacKeeper.

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