Adrian Johnson
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TLDR:
- 2.9 billion people’s data was published on the dark web from a breach of National Public Data.
- National Public Data, owned by Jerico Pictures, Inc., was targeted by a cyber criminal group called USDoD.
National Public Data Breach Exposes 2.9 Billion U.S. Citizens
Billions of people’s data was exposed in a breach of National Public Data, owned by Jerico Pictures, Inc., which operates as a Florida-based background check business. The breach, orchestrated by cyber criminal group USDoD, included the private data of 2.9 billion U.S. citizens, including full names, social security numbers, addresses, and even information about their relatives. The hacker group put a price tag of $3.5 million on the database, which was confirmed to be real and accurate by VX-Underground, an educational cybersecurity website.
Despite the massive breach, National Public Data failed to notify the victims or release a public statement regarding the incident. A class action lawsuit was filed by one of the victims, Christopher Hofmann, seeking monetary relief, mandatory purging of breached data, encryption of all future data, and implementation of a cybersecurity framework evaluation until 2034.
The breach is considered one of the largest in history, potentially surpassing the 2013 Yahoo Breach in terms of impacted accounts. With the consequences of the breach still unfolding, impacted individuals are urged to monitor their credit reports and bank accounts diligently. The lack of transparency and notification from National Public Data has raised concerns about the security of private data and the ongoing risks faced by the victims.
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