2.9B hit in one of largest data breaches; full names and SSNs exposed

A significant data breach has exposed the personal information of approximately 2.9 billion individuals, making it one of the largest breaches recorded. The breach was revealed through a class action lawsuit against National Public Data, a company that specializes in background checks and fraud prevention. The lawsuit claims that hackers, identified as the USDoD group, stole sensitive data including full names, addresses, and Social Security Numbers (SSNs) and attempted to sell this information on the dark web for $3.5 million. The data was reportedly obtained through scraping non-public sources, raising concerns about privacy violations as many individuals did not consent to their information being collected. The lawsuit seeks to compel National Public Data to securely dispose of the stolen data and provide financial compensation to the affected individuals. Following such breaches, companies typically offer identity theft protection or credit monitoring services to victims. The incident highlights ongoing vulnerabilities in data security practices and the potential for targeted phishing attacks using the exposed information. As the situation develops, National Public Data is expected to issue a formal data breach notification.

- A data breach has exposed the personal information of 2.9 billion people.

- The breach was linked to National Public Data and hackers known as USDoD.

- The stolen data includes full names, addresses, and Social Security Numbers.

- A class action lawsuit is seeking compensation and secure disposal of the data.

- Companies often provide identity theft protection following such breaches.