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(U//FOUO) ZabaSearch.com: OPSEC Worry?
FROM: Charlie Speight
Internet Program Manager (IT Directorate)
Run Date: 05/20/2005
(U//FOUO) There have been some emails moving around the agency lately about a Internet
search service called "ZabaSearch.com." At this site, you can type in a person's name and state
of residence and get back that person's address(es), telephone number and date of birth. For an
additional $20, you can get even more info: bankruptcies, legal judgements, current and
previous roommates and neighbors, liens, etc. It also comes with a National Criminal Record
search and satellitte photo of your address.
(U) As unsettling as this may seem, ZabaSearch is only one of quite a few search capabilities on
the web that can provide personal information. This one uses some of the available data (name,
DOB, address(es)) as a marketing tool to show what they can provide. To get "the good stuff,"
one has to subscribe. Subscription information services have been around for years and the
information therein (unfortunate fact #2) is based on public records. And it doesn't take a
hacker to get to it.
(U) It used to be that to acquire a portfolio on someone, you had to go to the county clerk or
visit other government offices and wade through court and other public records, sometimes
paying a fee to do so. Now, with all that information digital, the legwork is eliminated. And there
is nothing you can do about it. If you've gotten married, bought property, been arrested, served
on a jury, etc... there is going to be information on/about you that others can get.
(U) If you've ever been solicited by an insurance agent soon after you bought a home, (s)he got
your name and address from those public records. There is a Maryland state website where you
can find who owns a particular house and how much they paid for it (and what the property tax
assessment is). Want to know how much your new neighbor paid for his/her house? It's free on
the Internet.
(U//FOUO) OPSEC/COMSEC concern? Sure. Is there anything you can do to mitigate it? No (
Note: link not accessible via Netscape 4.7 -- use Netscape 7.0 or Internet Explorer ).
(U) Can you remove your information? No. The source of the information provided is public
record. That information is available via scores of web sites, search engines, reference services,
court houses, clerks of court, newspapers, etc. This is but one example of the confluence of a
free society, the "public's right to know," and technology.
(U) Additional info:
Robyn Winder On Zabasearch:
Google Hacking:
Beyond Keywords: Using Unconventional Techniques to Find Useful Information on the
Internet
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108
