Millions of Americans’ Personal Records Stolen from NPD Exposed on Illicit Web Forums
In a shocking turn of events, millions of Americans’ personal records have been stolen from National Public Data (NPD), a background check and personal lookup company, and have surfaced on illicit web forums for free. This breach has raised concerns among experts about the potential increase in cybercrime, including phishing and fraud, due to the exposure of Social Security numbers.
The cybercriminals, operating under the name USDoD, initially attempted to sell the stolen data for $3.5 million, claiming it contained a staggering 2.9 billion records on US citizens. However, a threat actor known as Fenice later posted a database with 2.7 billion records for free on the illicit marketplace BreachForums.
The leaked data includes sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, full names, addresses, phone numbers, and other personal details. The full database is a massive 277GB in size, raising concerns about the extent of the breach and the potential impact on affected individuals.
Following the breach, NPD, based in Coral Springs, Florida, and owned by Jerico Pictures, has been hit with a class-action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that NPD collected data on millions of individuals from non-public sources without their consent, including addresses dating back nearly two decades.
Security researchers have analyzed the leaked data and confirmed that it contains personal details that could be used for identity theft, phishing, and other malicious activities. The breach has underscored the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to protect individuals’ sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.
