The recent National Public Data breach, in which 2.9 billion records – including social security numbers – were stolen, has implications that affect the personal lives of Americans and businesses, as well.
In April 2024, hacking group USDoD claimed to have stolen the records on U.S. residents from a database called National Public Data and put the database for sale for $3.5 million. National Public Data has confirmed the breach. In June, USDoD threatened to leak the database.
Thanks to a class action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Lauderdale, private citizens and companies have learned of the information exposure.
Chief Product Officer Rob Allen of ThreatLocker, the Maitland-based cybersecurity company, told Orlando Business Journal stolen records could feasibly enable hackers to access business bank accounts.
Related: ThreatLocker to add 1,000+ jobs; eyes Orlando Magic's Westcourt for space
Wondering what to do in the event your data was compromised? OBJ got the scoop from Allen on why executives and employees should care about the hack and the fallout from it, as well as how it may impact local businesses.
How it can affect your business if your social security number is stolen?
In some cases, if a principal or owner of a business has their social security number stolen, that number combined with other personal information could be used to fraudulently obtain credit or loans in the business’s name. If a stolen social security number is used to gain access to business bank accounts, it could result in significant financial losses due to unauthorized transactions. These losses can impact credit and the business, or its employees could suffer long-term credit damage as a result.
How can you find out if your social security number has been stolen?
To be honest, at this point I would just assume it has been and work from there. There are many signs its happened, though. For example, in my personal instance, I received a data breach alert from my bank.
I am also signed up for notifications from haveibeenpwned.com, an excellent and free service that tracks and notifies you when your e-mail appears in a breach. I received this notification from them about a week after my bank’s notification. Experian also offers dark web monitoring as a paid service, however in my case they are yet to alert me about my data being leaked in the National Public Data breach. Other reputable services such as Identity Guard and LifeLock are also available.
What should you do if your social security number has been stolen?
In general, freezing your credit with the credit bureaus ( Experian, Equifax & Transunion ) is an excellent place to start — this will prevent new accounts from being opened in your name. This should probably be done by everyone, anyway, irrespective of whether they have had information leaked in a recent breach.
All three credit bureaus offer credit freezing as a free service, although they will doubtless try and sell you more services once you get signed up. People should also check their credit reports regularly for any unauthorized activity. Monitor and review your My Social Security account for any unauthorized changes or activity.
Pay attention to IRS notifications. It is possible scammers may try and use your social security number for tax fraud, so promptly address any suspicious correspondence. Try and file your taxes early, before a scammer can. It is possible scammers may try and use your social security number to fraudulently get a tax refund or a job.
Is there anything to be done to thwart the hackers?
Be vigilant against phishing e-mails, smishing texts and vishing phone and voicemail scams. These can be made more believable by scammers having some information about you, like a social security number. If you get a message you do not expect, even if it appears legitimate, contact the organization in question directly — not by calling back the same number or replying to text or email.
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