Roomies, the hackers who allegedly stole social security numbers and personal data of 2.9 billion people. Moreover, a lawsuit filed on August 1st asserts this claim.
RELATED: BK Lobster CEO Accused of Stealing from Black Entrepreneurs with Fake Franchises | TSR Investigates
More on what the recently filed lawsuit alleges about hacking
A copy of the lawsuit was obtained by Bloomberg Law asserts that “Jerico Pictures, Inc.,” a company doing business as “National Public Data,” or NPD, permitted the “breach” of individuals’ personal information “on or about April 2024.”
According to the lawsuit, NPD is a “background check company.” The company reportedly “allows its customers to search billions of records with instant results.”
“…a cybercriminal group known as USDoD accessed Defendant’s network prior to April 2024 and was able to steal the unencrypted PII of billions of individuals stored on Defendant’s network (‘Data Breach’),” the complaint states. “…On or about April 8, 2024… USDoD posted a database called ‘National Public Data’ on the Dark Web hacker forum called ‘Breached.’ USDoD allegedly had PII of approximately 2.9 billion individuals and offered the database for sale for $3.5 million…”
The lawsuit adds that the information released has been confirmed to be “true and accurate.” Furthermore, the breached information allegedly includes the individual’s full name, current address, previous address, and social security number.
“It also allows us to find their closest parents and siblings. We can identify parents, deceased relatives, uncles, aunts and cousins of some people. Additionally, we can confirm that this database also contains information [sic] about deceased individuals. Some of the individuals identified have been dead for nearly two decades,” the lawsuit states.
Who is potentially affected by this breach?
According to USA TodayThe US State Department claims to have collected personal information on 2.9 billion people in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.
The source added that NPD “has not publicly confirmed” the data breach. However, the company reportedly shared a short message with those who contacted it via email.
NPD asserts that “We are aware of some third-party complaints about consumer data and are investigating these issues.”
Bloomberg Law reiterated that NPD has “not yet provided” “general notice or warning to affected individuals since the filing.” However, if the breach is confirmed through legal proceedings, it “could be one of the largest breaches to date, in terms of the number of individuals affected.”
What can users do to protect their data and accounts?
According to EVERYBODYThe information in the alleged data breach could “allow cybercriminals to gain unauthorized access to financial accounts or potentially take out loans on behalf of other individuals.”
Additionally, the outlet is advising people to “freeze” their credit records with Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. In the meantime, USA Today is advising the public to implement multi-factor authentication for logins. Additionally, the channel is urging the public to update passwords for bank and email accounts.
Newsweek adding that “there is currently no way to know if your number has been stolen.” However, the store is urging people to use credit monitoring services like Identity Guard and LifeLock. Additionally, the store shared an additional protection suggestion from Joseph Harison, CEO of IT Companies Network.
“For those affected, it is important to stay vigilant. Pay attention to unexpected communications, monitor your credit report, consider fraud alerts and update passwords,” Harison advised.
RELATED: Former food service director sentenced after allegedly stealing $1.5 million in chicken wings from Illinois school district
What do your roommates think?
