Details are emerging about a data breach at National Public Data (NPD), a consumer data broker that recently spilled hundreds of millions of Americans’ Social Security Numbers, addresses, and phone numbers online.
According to a KrebsonSecurity.com another NPD data broker which shares access to the same consumer records inadvertently published the passwords to its back-end database in a file that was freely available from its homepage until two days ago.
Documents from a lawsuit filled in Florida revealed over 2.9 billion records are vulnerable after a massive hack of the Florida-based NPD network, Krebs said.
The filed complaint concerns against NPD, a company that provides background checks. Per their website, ‘[NPD obtains] information from various public record databases, court records, state and national databases, and other repositories nationwide,’ according to the McAfee Security Team in a press release.
The complaint alleges that NPD was hit by a data breach in or around April 2024. [i] The complaint filed in the U.S. District Court further alleges:
- The company had sensitive info breached, such as full names; current and past addresses spanning at least the last three decades; Social Security numbers; info about parents, siblings, and other relatives (including some who have been deceased for nearly 20 years); and other personal info.
- The company “scraped” this info from non-public sources. This info was collected without the consent of the person who filed the complaint and the billions of others who might qualify to join in the class action complaint.
- The company “assumed legal and equitable duties to those individuals to protect and safeguard that information from unauthorized access and intrusion.”
McAfee suggests you check your credit, consider a security freeze, and get ID theft protection.
With your personal info potentially on the dark web, strongly consider taking preventive measures now. Checking your credit and getting identity theft protection can help keep you safer in the aftermath of a breach. Further, a security freeze can help prevent identity theft if you spot any unusual activity. You can get all three in place with our McAfee+ Advanced or Ultimate plans. Features include:
- Credit monitoring keeps an eye on changes to your credit score, report, and accounts with timely notifications and guidance so you can take action to tackle identity theft.
- Security freeze protects you proactively by stopping unauthorized access to existing credit card, bank, and utility accounts or from new ones being opened in your name. And it won’t affect your credit score.
- ID Theft & Restoration Coverage gives you $2 million in identity theft coverage and identity restoration support if determined you’re a victim of identity theft. This way, you can cover losses and repair your credit and identity with a licensed recovery expert.
Monitor your identity and transactions.
Breaches and leaks can lead to exposure, particularly on dark web marketplaces where personal info gets bought and sold. Our Identity Monitoring can help notify you quickly if that happens. It keeps tabs on everything from email addresses to IDs and phone numbers for signs of breaches. If spotted, it offers advice that can help secure your accounts before they’re used for identity theft.
Also in our McAfee+ plans, you’ll find several types of transaction monitoring that can spot unusual activity. These features track transactions on credit cards and bank accounts — along with retirement accounts, investments, and loans for questionable transactions. Finally, further features can help prevent a bank account takeover and keep others from taking out short-term payday loans in your name.
Keep an eye out for phishing attacks.
With some personal info in hand, bad actors might seek out more. They might follow up a breach with rounds of phishing attacks that direct you to bogus sites designed to steal your personal info — either by tricking you into providing it or by stealing it without your knowledge. So look out for phishing attacks, particularly after breaches.
If you are contacted by a company, make certain the communication is legitimate. Bad actors might pose as them to steal personal info. Don’t click or tap on links sent in emails, texts, or messages. Instead, go straight to the appropriate website or contact them by phone directly.
For even more security, you can use our new Text Scam Detector. It puts a stop to scams before you click by detecting any suspicious links and sending you an alert. And if you accidentally tap a bad link, it blocks the sketchy sites they can take you to.
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