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Writer's pictureMF Tyler

Every American Needs To Check Their Social Security Number - Scary Hack Leaves 2.9 Billion Records Exposed


On April 8. 2024, a hacking group known as “USDoD” made a post on an online forum, making the claim that they had accessed around 2.9 billion sensitive records from a massive data broker that deals with background checks. The broker, National Public Data, has taken accountability for the situation. These records have been confirmed to contain social security records and other personal information belonging to millions of Americans, according to a Snopes investigation. National Public Data said in a statement:


“There appears to have been a data security incident that may have involved some of your personal information. The incident is believed to have involved a third-party bad actor that was trying to hack into data in late December 2023, with potential leaks of certain data in April 2024 and summer 2024. We conducted an investigation and subsequent information has come to light. What Information Was Involved? The information that was suspected of being breached contained name, email address, phone number, social security number, and mailing address(es).”


This hack, if fully legitimate, constitutes one of the largest and most impactful of its kind in American history. How can someone check if their information has been leaked? Websites like haveibeenpwned.com and avast.com offer helpful tools to view any potential data leaks impacting individuals. In the modern world of technology, privacy matters more than ever before, and this latest hacking situation proves that point. 












Sources:




Schneid, R. (2024, August 16). Is Your Social Security Number Compromised in Data Hack?. TIME. https://time.com/7011872/social-security-data-breach-information/ 


Izzo, J. (2024, August 16). Hackers Just Leaked a Bunch of Social Security Numbers. Here's What To Know. Snopes.com. https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/08/16/social-security-numbers-hack-release/ 



Coyer, C. (2024, August 2). Personal Data of 3 Billion People Stolen in Hack, Suit Says (1). https://news.bloomberglaw.com/privacy-and-data-security/background-check-data-of-3-billion-stolen-in-breach-suit-says

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