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National Public Data Breach: How to Protect Yourself

  • 2 September 2024
  • 14 mins read

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Ironically, National Public Data (NPD), a data broker who sells personal information to agencies, human resources, publicly available sites, and private investigators, was hacked into by a malicious actor who stole private information and leaked it on the dark web. 

But according to recent updates, NPD itself leaked millions of user data, including phone numbers and SSN (social security numbers) of Americans. 

Apparently, there was another data broker that had access to similar consumer records that mistakenly published all the passwords to a back-end database in a single file, which was available on the website’s homepage. 

This blog explains the steps to see if your information was leaked, how the breach happened, and what to do in case of dark web breaches.

What Happened in the National Public Data Breach?

Suppose your personal data was compromised during the reported theft of 2.9 billion records in December last year. In that case, you can verify whether your Social Security was exposed to a significant National Public Data breach.

The National Public Data hack of 2023 compromised the personal data of millions, if not billions, of people worldwide. 

A hacker collective called USDoD was charged in the incident; they claimed they had taken over 2.9 billion documents from NPD, a business that specialized in gathering and compiling public records.

On August 6, the dataset reappeared; this time, it was freely available for download on Breach Forums. 

National Public Data released a statement in August.

“After breaking into the system, "a third-party bad actor" posted the stolen data on the dark web. A class action lawsuit has been planned against National Public Data, claiming that the data was obtained via scraping nonpublic sources without permission.”

What Was the Impact on National Public Data Customers?

One of the biggest data breaches in history, the scope of the breach was extraordinary. The exposed information may be exploited for financial fraud, identity theft, and phishing scams, among other nefarious activities.

The breach raised concerns about the security of personal data and businesses' capacity to defend it against cyberattacks.

This Cyberattack Targets Millions of Individuals' Data!

This month, National Public Data stated that 

"The incident is believed to have involved a third-party bad actor trying to hack into data in late December 2023, with potential leaks of certain data in April 2024 and summer 2024."

  • Names 
  • Email address 
  • Phone numbers 
  • Social Security number 
  • Mailing addresses are among the approximately 3 billion personal details that may have been stolen in the crime.

It's still unclear how many specific individuals had their information compromised. Based on supposed interactions with the data broker, the Maine Attorney General's office estimates the number to be 1.3 million. 

According to Troy Hunt of Have I Been Pwned, 134 million stolen files contain unique email addresses.

What are the Potential Privacy Risks from Exposed Data?

Because the information disclosed was sensitive, the National Public Data (NPD) breach left people particularly vulnerable to various privacy threats.

The possible issues are broken down as follows:

Increased Risk of Identity Theft

  • Social Security Numbers, names, phone numbers, and even personal information about family members are among the stolen data. For identity thieves, this is a gold mine.
  • Cybercriminals can use your SSN to open new credit cards, bank accounts, and even loans in your name. After that, they might build up debt or lower your credit score.

Targeted Phishing Scams

  • Hackers can use the stolen information to conduct highly targeted phishing scams. 
  • They can create genuine emails or calls, deceiving you into disclosing additional personal information.
  • Clicking links leads to harmful websites that can steal your credentials or infect your devices. 
  • They can do this by knowing your name, address, and possibly even your previous jobs. 

Increased Fraud Risk

The stolen data can be used by criminals to carry out a variety of fraud schemes, such as:

  • Tax fraud involves filing false tax returns and obtaining a refund using your Social Security number.
  • Using your information to apply for welfare or unemployment benefits.
  • Making fake insurance claims in your name is known as insurance fraud. 

Privacy Invasion and Reputational Damage

Depending on what else was disclosed, the hack may have revealed personal data that you wouldn't want others to know, which could put you in danger or cause embarrassment.

Having Trouble Getting Credit

Even if identity theft is avoided, the breach itself may make it more difficult for you to get credit in the future. Lenders can become more cautious because there is a greater chance of fraud.

How to Take Immediate Action in Case of a Data Breach

If you believe your data may have been exposed in the National Public Data (NPD) data breach, take the following action right away:

  • Legally, National Public Data must inform those who are impacted. Watch your email and mailbox for any official correspondence from them.
  • Any accounts you may have that contain information potentially exposed in the hack should have their passwords changed immediately.
  • Consider setting a password manager to generate secure, one-of-a-kind passwords for every account.
  • Enable multi-factor authentication or MFA when needed.
  • Requiring a second verification code upon login provides an additional layer of security. It makes it much more difficult for hackers to access your accounts—even if they know your password. 
  • You can request a free copy of your credit report from TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian, the three main credit bureaus.
  • Check your online account activity and bank statements frequently for fraudulent transactions. Notify your bank right once if you see any unusual activity.
  • To notify the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about the data breach, go to identity theft.gov. This website helps law enforcement track these instances.

Minimize the Damage During Data Breaches With PurePrivacy

PurePrivacy is a complete privacy and security solution to protect your information from online threats. PurePrivacy gives you all the options to take charge of your online privacy.

  • Use Dark Web Monitoring to proactively search the dark web for compromised personal data, including credit card numbers, emails, and passwords.
  • Use Tracker Blocker to track and disable outside trackers that monitor your internet activity.
  • Use Remove My Data to simplify sending data removal requests to the services and websites that manage your personal data.
  • Use Social Privacy Manager to detect possible weaknesses by examining your social media privacy settings.

Monitor the Dark Web 24/7

Get quick notifications to take immediate precautions against identity theft and protect your accounts by continuous scanning.

Block Unwanted Trackers 

Enhance your privacy and reduce targeted ads by blocking websites or domains from gathering and sharing your browsing data.

View & Send Data Removal Requests

Simplify and automate opt-out requests to data brokers by tracking the requests and minimizing the quantity of information accessible online.

Enhance Social Media Privacy Settings

Get suggestions on protecting your privacy on well-known platforms and reducing the possibility of illegal access to your personal data.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • What is the purpose of using national public data?

    Plus

    Public records data broker National Public Data uses large amounts of data about individuals from public record databases, court records, state and federal databases, and other data repositories to specialize in background checks and fraud prevention.

  • How can you find out if someone has hacked your Social Security?

    Plus

    You can conduct a targeted search on NPDBreach.com by entering details such as your zip code, name, Social Security number, or phone number. If your Social Security number was included in the recent large-scale breach, you may find out exactly with this search. You can search NPD.pentester.com by entering your birth year, home state, and name.

  • Who is the national public data?

    Plus

    As a data broker, Jerico Pictures, Inc., doing business as National Public Data, conducts background checks on new employees. Their main function is gathering data from open sources, such as addresses, work histories, and criminal histories, and then selling that data.

  • How do I know that someone hacked my personal data?

    Plus

    There are numerous indicators that someone has stolen your identity. Keep an eye out for questionable invoices, credit accounts unfamiliar to you, or simply a need for more correspondence. Speak with the authorities and take quick action to reclaim your identity if you believe it has been stolen.

  • Simplify your online presence today

    With PurePrivacy, make sure all your personal data remains safe without a hassle!

    Get PurePrivacy

In Conclusion!

Data breaches are a never-ending problem for millions of citizens, and the National Public Data breach is a perfect example. 

It’s been a huge mess! But now we know it really happened and our stolen stuff is available online—physical addresses, social security numbers, and whatnot.  

The best course of action is to avoid sharing personal information online on suspicious platforms. 
You can also use PurePrivacy and a VPN to take charge and block hackers, doxxers, and illegal access before it happens.

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