In August, hackers leaked 2.7 billion records from National Public Data on a dark web forum. The data includes Social Security numbers and other sensitive information. The breach, tied to the cybercriminal group USDoD, affected individuals in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. The stolen records, shared in two CSV files totaling 277GB, have raised concerns over identity theft and fraud.
Although massive, the data dump doesn’t represent 2.7 billion unique individuals. Many records contain outdated or incorrect information. Some affected individuals confirmed the data’s legitimacy, heightening privacy concerns. Experts urge those impacted to monitor their credit reports and stay alert for phishing attempts. This incident highlights the urgent need for stronger regulations and better security practices to protect personal information.