As if to trigger a massive alarm for the cybersecurity industry, a data broker based in Florida, National Public Data has been targeted in a class-action lawsuit for neglecting to protect billions of consumers’ records. The case of Christopher Hofmann, the Californian resident, filed the lawsuit against the company claiming gross negligence after the hacker tried to steal 2. 9 billion records and lists them for sale on a black market.
Background check API provider National Public Data has vital information about citizens data protection measures of the U. S. , Canada, and the United Kingdom. Stolen information includes full names, addresses, social security numbers, and information about family members and it is a records check of over thirty years which puts persons at high risk for identity theft, fraud and harassment.
The insiders of the attack said that the hack was performed by a cyber thief who operates as SXUL he steals the data and relay it to a crime syndicate, identified as USDoD. The stolen records, sold for $3. 5 million, were not scraped from public sources, which made the situation even more severe. Hofmann who was among the victims of the damaged database, got to know of the theft from his identity theft service.
The lawsuit details how because National Public Data did not encrypt or even remove redacted information it was ripe for hackers to take. Hofmann demands the deletion of the stolen data, the introduction of Protection measures, external checks third party, and ‘undisclosed sums of money’ for the victims.
This case clearly illustrates why data security is a huge concern and what repercussions can ensue from their lack. There are essential lessons to learn from this and continues to remind the world of the weaknesses that exist in the current world of technology and the need for strengthening the cybersecurity.