Personal data of 2.9 billion people stolen from background check company Jerico Pictures Inc "National Public Data"

According to a class-action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida., the hacking group USDoD claimed in April 2024 to have stolen personal records of 2.9 billion people from National Public Data (Jerico Pictures, Inc.), which offers personal information to employers, private investigators, staffing agencies and other companies or individuals doing background checks.

Defendant National Public Data (Jericho Pictures Inc), a background check company, allows its customers to search billions of records with instant results.

The Plaintiff brings the Complaint against Defendant for its failure to properly secure and safeguard the personally identifiable information that it collected and maintained as part of its regular business practices. Upon information and belief, such sensitive information includes, but is not limited to, Plaintiff’s and Class Members’ full names; current and past addresses (spanning at least the last three decades); Social Security numbers; information about parents, siblings, and other relatives (including some who have been deceased for nearly 20 years); and/or other personal information.

On April 8, 2024, a cybercriminal group by the name of USDoD posted a database entitled “National Public Data” on a dark web forum, claiming to have the personal data of 2.9 billion people, according to the complaint filed Thursday, August 8, 2024 in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, 

The cybercriminal group allegedly put the database up for sale for $3.5 million.

According to the LA Times article, a few key pieces appeared to be missing from the hackers’ acquisition ... 

email addresses, 

driver’s license or 

passport photos

MEDIA & OTHER SOURCES ...

Personal Data of 3 Billion People Stolen in Hack, Suit Says

2.9 billion records possibly leaked in data breach: Protect yourself - Los Angeles Times

Was Your Social Security Number Stolen in the National Public Data Breach? What to Do - CNET

Best Identity Theft Protection and Monitoring Services for 2024 - CNET Money

Bloomberg Law Class Action Lawsuit against National Public Data

The United States Social Security Administration | SSA - alert on official website as of Wednesday, August 14, 2024