Massive Data Breach Exposes Critical Personal Information

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Approximately four months following a high-profile claim made by a well-known hacking group about successfully obtaining a significant volume of delicate personal data from a prominent data brokerage firm, reports have emerged that one of the group members has purportedly made the majority of the information available for download on an internet platform that deals in illicitly acquired personal data. The cyber intrusion comprises critical data such as Social Security numbers, posing a substantial threat for identity theft, fraudulent activities, and various other criminal activities, emphasized by Teresa Murray, the director of consumer advocacy at the U.S. Public Information Research Group.

"This comprehensive dossier containing information about each of us raises significantly more concerns than previous data breaches," remarked Murray during an interview.

"And if people weren't taking precautions in the past, which they should have been doing, this should be a five- alarm wake-up call for them."

In April, a class-action lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, alleging that the hacking group USDoD announced it had obtained personal records belonging to 2.9 billion individuals sourced from National Public Data. This database provides personal information to various entities such as employers, private investigators, and staffing agencies for background checks. The group purportedly advertised the stolen data on a hackers' forum for a price of $3.5 million. A cybersecurity expert detailed these findings in a post on X, highlighting that the compromised records encompassed individuals from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Bloomberg Law recently covered a lawsuit that brought attention to concerning developments within the cybersecurity realm. In a notable incident, an individual self-identified as Felice within the US Department of Defense (USDoD) was reported to have engaged in illicit activities on a hacking forum. As per documentation obtained by Bleeping Computer, Felice purportedly offered access to what was described as the comprehensive National Police Database (NPD), containing a staggering 2.7 billion records. The database reportedly includes detailed personal information such as full names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and phone numbers for each record. Additionally, alternate names and birth dates were claimed to be part of the extensive data set allegedly offered by Felice.