Florida data broker confirms data breach affecting millions of US residents

A Florida-based data broker, National Public Data (NPD), has officially confirmed a significant data breach affecting millions of people living in the US. The breach reportedly took place in April 2024, but the company failed to notify those affected, leading to a class action complaint filed in the U.S. District Court.

NPD is a company that provides background checks by collecting information from public data sources, including criminal records, addresses, and employment history. However, according to the complaint, the company also collected information from non-public sources without the consent of the owner. As a result, personal information such as names, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, as well as address histories going back 30 years, have been exposed.

The accuser only discovered the breach after receiving a notification from his identity theft protection service, that his personal information had been compromised as a direct result of the "nationalpublicdata.com" breach. Regulations require companies to self-report such incidents.

A cybercriminal going by the name USDoD already claimed responsibility for the breach claiming to have access to a trove of 2.9 billion records. At first, the data amounting to 277GB was being sold on the dark web for $3.5 million, but it’s believed to be available for free.

The delayed acknowledgment from NPD has left millions of individuals vulnerable to identity theft and financial fraud. Experts are urging those who might be affected to monitor their accounts closely and be vigilant against potential phishing emails and other forms of fraud. It’s also a great idea to use an identity protection service to determine whether your data has been compromised.

The class action lawsuit filed with the state attorney also includes names of other victims who can join in. If history is anything to go by, this might just be the beginning of legal and regulatory challenges NPD will face in the face of the breach.