National Public Data Admits Massive Data Breach

National Public Data (NPD), a background check service, confirmed a significant data breach involving potentially 2.9 billion records, including names, Social Security numbers, and personal addresses. The breach is linked to a third-party bad actor who attempted to hack into NPD's systems in late December 2023, with data leaks occurring in April and summer 2024. NPD has acknowledged that the information may affect an unknown number of individuals, but has not provided a clear number of those impacted or compensation options. Multiple lawsuits have been filed against NPD, alleging negligence in protecting sensitive data. The threat actor 'USDoD' purportedly offered the stolen data for sale, claiming it included records of individuals from the U.S., Canada, and the UK, while cybersecurity experts have confirmed some of the data's authenticity. NPD has stated they are cooperating with law enforcement and have implemented additional security measures.