The National Public Data breach is one of the largest data breaches in history, exposing approximately 2.9 billion records containing Social Security numbers, names, addresses, and other personal information of individuals across the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.
How It Happened
A threat actor known as USDoD claimed to have obtained the data from National Public Data, a background check company. The data was initially offered for sale on dark web forums for $3.5 million before being leaked publicly.
Impact Assessment
The breach is particularly devastating because it includes Social Security numbers — data that cannot be changed and enables comprehensive identity theft. The company subsequently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.