Discover if your Social Security number was compromised in a breach

TLDR:

Key Points:

• National Public Data suffered a massive data breach potentially exposing billions of personal financial records.
• The breach included sensitive information like Social Security numbers, names, email addresses, and phone numbers.

In a recent data breach by National Public Data, billions of personal financial records were put at risk. The breach, affecting potentially 2.9 billion records, included sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, names, and contact details. While some reports suggest the breach may have impacted more than 2.7 billion records, the exact number remains uncertain. The breached data may have been available through a third-party bad actor who gained unauthorized access to the data. Cyber professionals investigating the breach have found that much of the information was already publicly available and, in some cases, inaccurate.

Consumers can check if their data was affected through certain websites set up for this purpose, although caution is advised when entering personal information. In the event of being included in the breach, individuals are encouraged to freeze their credit and change passwords, while also considering additional protection services. While legal organizations have suggested the possibility of money damages for those affected, actual payouts from past breaches have been minimal. The breach serves as a reminder for individuals to take proactive steps to safeguard their personal information in light of increasing cybersecurity threats.