00:00An enormous amount of social security numbers and other sensitive information for millions
00:04of people could be in the hands of a hacking group after a data breach and may have been
00:09released on an online marketplace, the Los Angeles Times reported this week.
00:13The hacking group UsDodd claimed it had allegedly stolen personal records of 2.9 billion people
00:19from national public data, according to a class-action lawsuit filed in U.S. District
00:24Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, reported by Bloomberg Law.
00:28The breach was believed to have happened in or around April 2024, according to the
00:33lawsuit.
00:34What information is included in the data breach?
00:36The class-action law firm Schubert, Jonkier & Kolb said in a press release that the stolen
00:41file includes 277.1 gigabytes of data and includes names, address histories, relatives
00:48and social security numbers dating back at least three decades.
00:52According to a post from a cybersecurity expert on X, formerly Twitter, UsDodd claims to be
00:57selling the 2.9 billion records for citizens of the U.S., U.K. and Canada on the dark web
01:03for $3.5 million.
01:05Since the information was posted for sale in April, others have released different copies
01:10of the data, according to the cybersecurity and technology news site Bleeping Computer.
01:15A hacker known as Fenice leaked the most complete version of the data for free on a forum in
01:20August, Bleeping Computer reported.
01:22What is national public data?
01:24National Public Data is a Florida-based background check company operated by Jericho Pictures,
01:29Inc.
01:30USA Today has reached out to National Public Data for comment.
01:34The company has not publicly confirmed a data breach, but the Los Angeles Times reported
01:39that it has been telling people who contacted via email that we are aware of certain third-party
01:44claims about consumer data and are investigating these issues.
01:47If you believe your information has been stolen or has appeared on the dark web, there are
01:52a few steps you can take to prevent fraud or identity theft.
01:56Money.com recommends taking the following steps.
01:59Make sure your antivirus is up-to-date and perform security scans on all your devices.
02:04If you find malware, most antivirus programs should be able to remove it, but in some cases
02:09you may need professional help.
02:12Update your passwords for bank accounts, email accounts and other services you use, and make
02:16sure they are strong and different for every account.
02:20Include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and punctuation marks, and never use
02:25personal information that a hacker could guess.
02:28Use multi-factor authentication for any accounts or services that offer it to ensure you are
02:32the person logging in.
02:34Check your credit report and report any unauthorized use of your credit cards.
02:39If you notice any suspicious activity, you can ask credit bureaus to freeze your credit.
02:44Be careful with your email and social media accounts and beware of phishing.
02:48Don't attempt to get your personal information by misrepresenting who a message or email
02:53is from.
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