A New Report Found 3 Billion Records Stolen in Major Data Breach – What You Need to Know
According to newsnationnow Concerns are mounting over a potential wave of identity theft after a hacking group claimed to have stolen nearly three billion personal records, including Social Security numbers.
The breach occurred in April, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The hacking group, identified as USDoD, allegedly accessed the data from National Public Data, a service that provides personal information to employers, private investigators, and others for background checks.
Initially, USDoD attempted to sell the stolen data for $3.5 million but has since released most of it for free on an online platform for stolen data. The group claims to have 2.9 billion records containing personal information from individuals in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., though the combined population of these countries is about 440 million.
Multiple news organizations have reviewed samples of the data and confirmed that it appears to contain real personal information. National Public Data has not responded to requests for comment from various media outlets.
Bleeping Computer reported that each stolen record contains a person’s name, mailing addresses, and Social Security number, with some records also including additional details such as other associated names. None of the data appears to be encrypted.
Experts advise that the most effective step individuals can take is to freeze their credit with the three major credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. This will prevent unauthorized parties from opening credit cards or financial accounts in your name. However, you’ll need to temporarily lift the freeze if you wish to apply for credit yourself.
One important caution: beware of unsolicited emails claiming to be from the credit bureaus, as these could be scams posing as legitimate entities offering to “protect” you from other fraudsters.
Additionally, there are paid services available that offer monitoring of your accounts and track activity on the dark web to safeguard against identity theft.