How can you check if your SSN was leaked on the dark web after the NPD breach?
Earlier this year, hackers stole nearly three billion records from the National Public Data (NPD) and posted the stolen details on the dark web for everyone to see in August 2024. The stolen info includes full name, date of birth, addresses, cell numbers, and social security numbers (SSN). Multiple media outlets have claimed that the database likely contains the social security number of almost every American. It appears that hundreds of millions of American citizens have been affected by the breach.
Tool created to check for compromised data
A small company from Florida has created a tool called Pentester that allows people to check if their details are among the stolen records. The tool prompts people to input their first name, last name, state, and year of birth. Then performs a check rapidly by going through the billions of records.
The tool is free of charge, and users can perform unlimited checks.
Data quality issues
The tool works, but it also shows that the leaked data is, luckily, far from perfect. Often, users report wrong numbers attached to their names. Others say that even though they are American citizens, details appear not to be compromised and are luckily not included in the leak.
Internet users took to social media to also report that SSNs of deceased individuals are included in the list, and the info appears to be out of date. For example, SSN matches but includes old addresses and phone numbers. There are a lot of duplicates, too.
Source: Panda Security