Ethical hacker Arnela Sabovic has raised concerns about a disturbing discovery on the dark web, where scanned and photographed passports from around the world, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, are being sold. Pročitaj više

“A few days ago, I came across pages on the dark web and breach forums selling scanned or photographed passports from all over the world. Among them, of course, were passports from our country,” Sabovic wrote on her LinkedIn profile.

Ethical hackers use their expertise to protect digital security and public safety, and Sabovic’s findings highlight a serious issue: private documents belonging to Bosnian citizens are being sold in illicit online marketplaces.

Real identities at risk

To verify the authenticity of the documents, Sabovic conducted a detailed examination and confirmed that the individuals whose passports were displayed were real people.

“Out of curiosity, but also professional responsibility, I decided to check the authenticity of some of them and confirmed that these were not generic forgeries or poorly edited images from the internet, but actual documents belonging to real people,” she explained.

According to her, there are many ways such documents end up on the dark web, including hacked databases, insider fraud, data leaks from travel agencies and hotels, and careless sharing of scanned documents via email.

As an example, she highlighted the passport of a young woman from Sarajevo which is still valid.

“Yet, some people still think this could never happen to them. But trust me, reality is brutal – it can. And maybe it already has,” Sabovic warned.

Understanding the dark web

The dark web is a section of the internet that is not indexed by standard search engines like Google or Bing. It can only be accessed through specialized tools, such as Tor (The Onion Router), which allow users to remain anonymous and hide their identities. While the dark web hosts legitimate uses, it is also a hub for illegal activities, including drug and weapons trafficking, stolen data sales, and other cybercrime.

Sabovic’s revelations serve as a stark reminder of the importance of data security and the risks associated with sharing personal information online.