(TRENDING POLITICS NEWS) – According to multiple news outlets, hackers may have compromised the Social Security numbers of millions of Americans. A major breach, initially claimed by a well-known hacking collective about four months ago, involved the theft of a vast amount of sensitive personal data from a leading data broker.
On April 8, the cybercriminal group known as USDoD listed a database for sale on a dark web forum, titled “National Public Data.” According to a complaint filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the database reportedly contains the personal information of 2.9 billion individuals. The group has priced the database at $3.5 million.
A member of the group reportedly made much of this sensitive information freely available on an internet forum known for trading stolen personal data. Teresa Murray, the consumer watchdog director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, expressed her concerns to the Los Angeles Times about the potential consequences of the exposed Social Security numbers and other confidential data. She warned that this could lead to an increase in identity theft, fraud, and various other criminal activities.
