If you live in the western hemisphere or the UK, you’re probably not going to like this.
Per Bleeping Computer, a massive data leak of some 2.7 billion records may include sensitive personal data for residents of the US, UK, and Canada. The leaked data includes social security numbers, and is said to have come from a company known as National Public Data, which collects and sells personal data for use in background checks by private investigators and others.
The article notes that a hacker attempted to sell the data (which, at the time, purported to contain the records of 2.9 billion records as opposed to 2.7 billion records) for $3.5 million, stating that it contained records of every individual in each of the three countries.
Following a series of partial leaks, the full copy of the databased has now been made available for download. The leaked data consists of two text files amounting to 277 gigabytes, complete with 2.7 billion plaintext records.
While BleepingComputer can’t confirm if this leak contains the data for every person in the US, numerous people have confirmed to us that it included their and family members’ legitimate information, including those who are deceased.
The records are said to contain each person’s name, mailing address, and social security number, with some records including supplemental information such as other names associated with the person. None of the data is encrypted.
As some of the address data is outdated, it’s believed that it may have been obtained from an old backup of the database, rather than the live version.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via 9to5Mac and Bleeping Computer