Personal information of 93.4 million Mexicans exposed on Amazon

“In my hands is something dangerous. It is proof that someone moved confidential government data out of Mexico and into the United States.” Chris Vickery wrote.

He was talking about a 132 GB database, containing the personal information on 93.4 million Mexican voters.

Vickery, a security researcher at Kromtech, the company behind MacKeeper, said he was surprised after discovering that such data were in a public archive, without any password.

The database contained all Mexican citizens' information: voter's name, address, ID number, date of birth, the names of their parents, occupation, and more.

After reporting the situation to the U.S. State Department, DHS, the Mexican Embassy in Washington, the Mexican Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE), and Amazon, the database was finally taken offline on April 22.

"I sent two screenshots with the information to the Mexican Embassy in Washington. The embassy never answered me,” Vickery told El Universal.

He contacted the INE on April 19. "The INE was very helpful and responsible. They removed the database, they acted properly," he added.

Vickery says he talked to a Mexican student from Harvard and he confirmed the accuracy of at least one record in the database.

“His reaction was very serious. He immediately understood the potential harm that could be done if this database were to end up in the wrong hands.” Vickery explained. 

According to Mexican law, it's illegal to use voter records for personal gain. There is a penalty of up to 12 years in prison.