Recent revelations about a data breach at National Public Data (NPD) have raised alarm bells as sensitive information of over 272 million Americans has been compromised. This breach includes Social Security Numbers, addresses, and phone numbers, with the data being sold by a cybercriminal known as USDoD. The situation worsened when it was discovered that a sister site, recordscheck.net, inadvertently exposed administrator passwords, further jeopardizing user data. The breach can be traced back to a security incident in December 2023, which NPD acknowledged in August. Users of recordscheck.net were found to have been assigned weak passwords, many of which were never changed. To mitigate the risks, experts recommend freezing credit files at major reporting bureaus to prevent identity theft. Additionally, Americans can now access their credit reports weekly for free, allowing them to monitor for inaccuracies or fraudulent activity. Immediate action is advised for those concerned about their data security.
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