The database is being sold by two different vendors for 10 bitcoin (around $6,600) and 3.5 bitcoin (around $2,300). Motherboard was able to verify that at least one of the two listings appear to be legitimate.

The database, known as "World-Check," lists "heightened risk individuals and organizations" and it's sold by Thomson Reuters to governments, intelligence agencies, banks, law firms. The goal is to give customers a tool to screen people who might be involved in crimes such as money laundering, corruption, and even terrorism. Customers are granted access to the database only after vetting and agreeing to not publicize or disclose its content, and its data is culled from public sources.

"There's a lot of people looking for this stuff and it's a lot bigger than people realize."