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One of the biggest breaches in history occurred when 2.7 billion personal records were leaked on the dark web. The data, which includes social security numbers, was supposedly stolen from National Public Data (NPD) at least four months ago. Each record contains a person’s name, mailing address, and SSN, as well as other sensitive information like names of relatives.
The breach is linked to an earlier incident in April when a cyber-criminal group claimed to have access to personal data of 2.9 billion people from the US, UK, and Canada. The criminals obtained this database from another threat actor using the alias “SXUL.”
In August, a user named “Fenice” leaked the unencrypted records on the dark web site “Breached.” These records did not contain phone numbers or email addresses and originated from SXUL.
Experts believe that individuals impacted by the breach should monitor their credit reports, freeze their accounts, and be cautious of phishing campaigns. Businesses should ensure that personal data is encrypted and safely stored, as well as implement other security measures like multi-factor authentication and employee training.
National Public Data has not acknowledged the breach or notified affected individuals. The company is currently under investigation by Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe LLP.
Experts agree that the value of NPD records to cyber-criminals lies in their organized nature, making it easier for attackers to access this information. The breach also highlights concerns about deceased individuals’ data being reused for nefarious purposes.
To prevent such breaches, experts recommend stronger regulations and transparency for data brokers, as well as limits on web scraping and allowing data subjects to see, modify, and delete their information.
Businesses and individuals cannot reasonably protect themselves from such breaches without corporate and regulatory level solutions. The balance of power currently favors cyber-criminals, making it essential to normalize data privacy regulation via international treaty.
Source: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/social-security-numbers-leak/