Background check company breached, nearly 3B exposed in data theft

A significant data breach has occurred at Jerico Pictures Inc., operating as National Public Data, affecting nearly 3 billion individuals. The breach, attributed to a hacker group known as USDoD, exposed sensitive information including full names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and personal data of family members. The breach was revealed through a class action lawsuit, with the plaintiff, Christopher Hofmann, learning of the incident via an identity theft protection service in July. The compromised data was reportedly posted on a dark web forum in April, with the hackers demanding $3.5 million for the database. National Public Data collects information from non-public sources without individuals' consent, raising concerns about privacy and data security. This breach is one of the largest in history, rivaling Yahoo's 2013 incident that affected 3 billion accounts. The exact timing of the breach remains unclear, and efforts to contact National Public Data for comments have not yet yielded a response.

- Nearly 3 billion individuals' data exposed in a breach at National Public Data.

- The breach was executed by a hacker group called USDoD.

- Sensitive information includes names, addresses, and Social Security numbers.

- The breach was revealed through a class action lawsuit.

- National Public Data collects data without individuals' consent, raising privacy concerns.