Hackers stole and exposed 2.9 billion National Public Data records

One of the biggest data leaks that rocked the internet community recently took place. A hacker who goes by the pseudonym Fenice has posted 2.9 billion records stolen from National Public Data on the Breach Forums platform. The company provides services for checking criminal records and other public information, and the leak includes vast amounts of Americans’ personal information, such as full names, addresses, cities, states, zip codes and Social Security Numbers (SSNs).

The total amount of leaked data is 277 GB. This data poses a significant security risk as it can be used for identity theft, opening fake credit accounts, obtaining loans and even filing false tax returns. The leak occurred in April 2024, and the USDoD hacking group initially tried to sell the data for $3.5 million.

Jerico Pictures, which owns National Public Data, is currently facing lawsuits related to insufficient protection of its customers’ data. National Public Data has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident, but the implications of the leak could be significant both for the company and for the millions of people whose data was at risk.

National Public Data is a public data provider specializing in reputation checks and fraud prevention. The Company obtains information from various public databases, court records, state and national databases and other repositories.