A data dump containing 2.7 billion records of personal information, including Social Security Numbers, for US residents has been leaked online. The data was linked to National Public Data, a company that collects and sells information for background checks, and the company has confirmed a data security incident resulting in the theft of names, emails, addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses as well. The breach was attributed to a third-party bad actor who successfully hacked into the system. Another threat actor known as USDoD attempted to sell 2.9 billion records stolen from National Public Data. The company is working with law enforcement to address the issue and is advising affected individuals to monitor their financial accounts, obtain free credit reports, and place fraud alerts. National Public Data is also facing a class action lawsuit for failing to adequately protect the personal information it collected.
