Massive Data Breach Exposes Personal Information of 2.9 Billion People: What You Need to Know

A hacking group has reportedly compromised personal data from National Public Data, affecting approximately 2.9 billion individuals.

The breach includes sensitive details such as Social Security numbers, raising significant concerns about identity theft and fraud.

Consumer advocate Teresa Murray emphasized, “If this indeed encompasses nearly all our personal information, it is extremely alarming.”

To safeguard against potential misuse, individuals are advised to place a freeze on their credit files with major credit bureaus.

Experts also suggest using strong, unique passwords and enabling two-factor authentication to protect accounts.

Additionally, it’s important to be cautious of scams that may masquerade as communications from legitimate organizations to avoid disclosing personal information.

A class-action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., reveals that the hacking group USDoD claimed in April to have stolen personal records of 2.9 billion individuals from National Public Data.

This organization provides personal information to employers, private investigators, staffing agencies, and others conducting background checks.

The group reportedly offered the data, which includes records from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., for $3.5 million on a hacker forum, according to a cybersecurity expert’s post on X.

Last week, a person identified only as Felice, purportedly a member of USDoD, announced on the hacking forum that they were selling “the full NPD database,” as reported by BleepingComputer.

Felice claimed the database contains around 2.7 billion records, each including a person’s full name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, phone number, and additional alternate names and birth dates.

Update

National Public Data confirms that hackers have stolen Social Security numbers from nearly every American, according to NYP.

NPD, a company that performs criminal background checks, has confirmed it was hacked, and sensitive data, including Social Security numbers of Americans, was stolen.

The company stated that there was an attempted hack in December 2023 and that there were potential data leaks in April 2024 and summer 2024.

NPD, known for offering background checks at low fees, did not disclose the number of people affected by this breach.