Hackers Steal 1.3 Million Social Security Numbers in National Public Data Breach.

In a troubling update for data security, National Public Data has confirmed that hackers compromised sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, affecting approximately 1.3 million individuals. This disclosure comes amid a class-action lawsuit alleging that up to 2.9 billion records were stolen in a massive breach.

The breach was first reported in a notice from the Maine attorney general’s office on August 17. National Public Data, a Florida-based firm, acknowledged the breach in a letter sent to affected consumers on August 10. The letter detailed that the breach involved a third-party attacker who accessed personal data, including Social Security numbers, mailing addresses, and email addresses, beginning in late December 2023 with potential data leaks surfacing in April and summer 2024.

In response to the breach, National Public Data advised affected individuals to take precautionary measures. The company recommended contacting the major credit reporting agencies—Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian—to obtain free credit reports and place a fraud alert on their credit files. This alert would require creditors to verify the identity of anyone seeking to open new accounts or alter existing ones.

However, National Public Data's official statement did not address the class-action lawsuit filed earlier this month. The lawsuit, submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, claims that cybercrime group USDoD was behind the hack and that the stolen database was put up for sale on the dark web for $3.5 million. The suit further alleges that the compromised records span at least the last three decades and that the company failed to secure and encrypt the data, making it vulnerable to theft.

The lawsuit's plaintiff, Christopher Hoffman, asserts that National Public Data neglected to safeguard the personally identifiable information it collected and maintained. It also alleges that individuals affected by the breach were not direct customers of the firm but rather had their data “scraped” by unauthorized parties and shared with National Public Data without their consent.

Despite these serious allegations, National Public Data has not addressed them in its communications or in response to inquiries from media outlets. The Epoch Times reached out to the company for further comments but did not receive a response by press time.

As investigations continue, individuals affected by the breach are urged to stay vigilant and take necessary steps to protect their personal information from potential misuse.

Read this to see if you your social security number was breached. How To Check If Your Social Security Number Was Compromised.