Largest Password & Social Security Number Leak in Histroy: Billions of Files at Risk

Your personal information sold to the dark web

Photo byAIO Photoz

The Social Security number of every American may have been exposed in a the largest cybersecurity breach in history - threatening the identity of all US citizens.

The hacking group USDoD claims that they were able to hack into a data broker company called National Public Data (NPD). Then they leaked 2.9 billion personal information records, including social security numbers, full names, and home addresses.

According to a class action lawsuit, NPD obtained the data without consent, and the breach occurred sometime in April 2024. Allegedly, NPD obtained the information by scraping nonpublic sources without consent, according to the proposed class action.

The lawsuit alleges that "upon information and belief" USDoD was "able to exfiltrate the unencrypted PII of billions of individuals" and that the personal information was "published, offered for sale and sold on the Dark Web by cybercriminals."

Then during the July 4th holiday, a hack occurred when 10 billion unique passwords were compromised from popular websites, including Santander and Ticketmaster.

The Ticketmaster hack alone affected over 560 million custormers.

"In its essence, the RockYou2024 leak is a compilation of real-world passwords used by individuals all over the world. Revealing that many passwords for threat actors substantially heightens the risk of credential stuffing attacks," researchers for CyberNews said.

The CyberNews team noted the leak, combined with other breaches that exposed email addresses and phone numbers, could lead to "a cascade of data breaches, financial frauds, and identity thefts."

What to do if:

If you receive notice from a debt collector or notice fraudulent activity, contact your financial institutions and law enforcement.

Also, be the first to initiate calls (meaning if you get a call, tell them you'll call back), and don't give out your social security number. Emily Rella, Entrepreneur Staff

References:

Emily Rella, Entrepreneur Staff

The Entrepreneur.com - Every American's Social Security Number May Have Been Leaked | Entrepreneur

CNET.com - Was Your Social Security Number Stolen in the National Public Data Hack? What You Can Do - CNET

Engadget.com - Hackers may have leaked the Social Security Numbers of every American (engadget.com)

Cybernews.com - RockYou2024: 10 billion passwords leaked in the largest compilation of all time | Cybernews