In total, 650 of the 443 mps currently sitting in the House of Commons leak their data on the dark web – that's 68%. The leaked information contained personal and login information, and the MP's emails were published 2,110 times. On average, MPs publish emails 4.7 times, with the most frequently targeted MPs experiencing up to 30 leaks.
In addition, 216 plain text passwords – meaning that they were not hidden or hashed in any way – were associated with compromised accounts in MPs. If these passwords are reused by multiple accounts, hackers may have easy access to all of these accounts. The maximum amount of passwords published for one MP was 10, leaving 10 of its MP's accounts vulnerable– potentially hackers accessing sensitive or sensitive information
Speaking of sensitive information, MPs also suffered social media leaks. Instagram Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media profiles that may contain personal information were leaked 117 times, while LinkedIn profiles were leaked 21, 21 and 16 times, respectively.Facebook instagrammed 21 social media profiles that may contain personal information, including Twitter and Instagrammed, were leaked 21 times each.Instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrammed instagrams. These revelations could have allowed hackers to gain access to MP photo libraries, voice data, home addresses, bank account details, mobile phone numbers and contacts, from targeted phishing campaigns to identity theft, extortion, and the creation of convincing deep fakes, the damage that could be done with this information is immense.
This investigation was conducted to see if the personal and login information of UK, EU and French politicians had been posted on the dark web. The UK was the biggest culprit, with the vast majority of mps publishing details via corporate hacks and breaches they said they had signed up to use parliamentary emails such as Adobe, Dropbox and LinkedIn.
This was significantly worse than the EU-French counterparts, with less than 1 in 5 (18%) of the French National Assembly and Senate and less than half (44%) of MEPs.
Among the 10 to 7 mps who share stolen data on the dark web are Cabinet ministers, opposition frontbenchers and, worst of all, members of a committee dedicated to taking care of cyber security in the UK.
In light of the next UK general election, Proton is calling on the new government to "take cyber security seriously and insist on better training for mps on how to protect their accounts." Proton also outlined a series of cybersecurity measures that would strongly encourage all new mps to take after the general election to make online accounts as secure as possible.:
The company also contacted all politicians whose data has been published on the dark web, warning of leaks and urging them to update their login information.
The study shows that everyone can be the victim of data breaches, hacks and other cybercrime.Mps, in particular, who should pay more attention to data than the average person, publish large amounts of data on the dark web. From setting up an MFA, to using a strong and unique password, to quickly changing the password in a public account, it highlights the unmistakable importance of being careful with your data.
Eamonn Maguire, Head of Account Security at Proton, commented on the findings:"Robust cybersecurity practices are essential in today's digital environment, especially for those in power positions. A single leaked password can lead to serious national security violations, given access owned by mps. Many underestimate their vulnerability, but the reality is that everyone is a potential target.
"Vigilance is essential for anyone in the public eye to protect both personal and national security, and we are calling on the new government after the general election to take cyber security seriously and for all mps to adopt better account security practices.
Details and data on the study can be found on the Proton blog.
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