The Breach You Can't Escape Nearly every person in the US, UK, and Canada had their personal data exposed in this breach. Watch: The National Public Data Breach Explained --- In April 2024, a hacker group called "USDoD" posted a database on the dark web for $3.5 million. The contents? 2.9 billion records from National Public Data, a background check company you've never heard of but who definitely has heard of you. --- What Was Exposed This isn't a breach of accounts. This is a breach of identity itself. Data Type / Scope Full Names / Yours and your relatives' Social Security Numbers / 272 million unique SSNs, unencrypted Addresses / Current and past, going back 30 years Phone Numbers / Every one you've ever had Dates of Birth / Perfect for identity verification fraud Family Relationships / Parents, siblings, children—mapped --- The Irony National Public Data scraped this information from "public" and non-public sources to sell background checks. You never consented You never knew they existed They kept your SSN in plaintext Now they've bankrupted themselves trying to pay for credit monitoring for hundreds of millions of people. --- Timeline of Negligence Date / Event December 2023 / Hackers begin infiltration April 2024 / Data posted for sale on dark web ($3.5M) August 2024 / NPD finally confirms the breach October 2024 / Parent company files bankruptcy December 2024 / Company shuts down entirely --- The Aftermath 14+ class-action lawsuits filed Most victims never notified directly SSNs cannot be changed like passwords Data being resold and aggregated with other breaches --- Defense Protocol Immediate Actions: Freeze your credit with all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) Check haveibeenpwned.com for your email Enable 2FA on all financial accounts File taxes early to prevent tax fraud Set up IRS Identity Protection PIN Long-Term: Monitor credit reports monthly Consider identity theft protection services Watch for phishing using your personal details Assume your SSN is public knowledge --- The Cold Reality Your Social Security Number is now public knowledge. A company you never authorized to collect your data failed to protect it.