● Covered by 9 sources · 14 reportsHigh impact12 negative2 neutral
FBI Investigates Dark Web Service Selling 153M+ US and Canadian Driver's Licenses
Key points
- Dark web service "Nexus" offers over 153 million driver's license scans.
- Data includes US and Canadian licenses, IDs, and medical cards.
- FBI's New Orleans field office launched an official inquiry.
- Source of images appears to be a Louisiana-based identity verification company.
- Krebs on Security confirmed the authenticity of the claim by receiving a scan of his own driving license.
- Other victims also confirmed their scans were correct.
- The identity verification service is used by Fortune 500 companies.
- The leaked data includes information belonging to US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
- The data is suspected to have originated from IDScan.
- IDScan is used by companies like Hertz and Planet13.
- Nexus also claimed to possess 10 million ID cards and 1.9 million travel documents.
- Nexus was advertised on the Russian cybercrime forum Exploit.
- Nexus also offered medical cards, employment records, and residence cards.
- Nexus launched on the dark web this week.
- Nexus added about half a million new documents daily.
- The advert claims customer photos are displayed if available.
- Nexus offers high-resolution scans with infrared and ultraviolet spectrum data.
- The data includes IDs of an FBI assistant director and security researchers.
- The data includes international driver's licenses and Common Access Cards.
- Nexus claims to possess IDs of over 170 million individuals.
- Nexus offers over 3 million travel documents and international IDs.
- Nexus offers roughly 580,000 medical cards.
- Approximately 1.1 million driver's licenses are from Canada.
- Hackers had access to the identity verification company's scans for over a year.
- The dark web service added 400,000 records on the day it was revealed.
- IDScan faces multiple lawsuits.
- Law firms Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, and Hall Attorneys investigate class-action litigation.
- Brian Krebs reported the breach on September 1.
- IDScan provides hardware and software solutions for identity document scanning.
- IDScan systems are used in car rental firms, retailers, gun shops, financial institutions, cannabis dispensaries, and hospitality establishments.
- IDScan confirmed the data breach in a website notice.
- IDScan's notice is the company's first acknowledgement of being hacked.
- IDScan's breach notification was published on September 4.
- IDScan's breach notification was configured with a noindex directive.
- IDScan offers free credit monitoring and identity protection services.
- IDScan determined an unauthorized third party accessed customer information in its cloud.
- IDScan's announcement did not publicly connect the breach to the dark web marketplace.
- IDScan stated full access to the information required payment.
- IDScan is contacting potentially impacted individuals.
- IDScan became aware of the breach on or around September 1.
- TechCrunch first reported IDScan's security notice.
- The Privacy Commissioner of Canada launched an investigation into IDScan.net.
- The probe will examine IDScan.net's security practices and victim notifications.
- The investigation will assess compliance with Canada's federal private-sector privacy law.
- Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne launched the probe.
Dark Web Service Offers Stolen IDs
A new identity theft service named Nexus has launched on the dark web, advertising the sale of digital scans of over 153 million driver's licenses from individuals in the United States and Canada. The service also claims to possess more than 10 million identification cards, over three million travel documents, and at least 579,000 medical cards. The sheer volume of data suggests a significant compromise.
FBI Launches Investigation
The New Orleans field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has initiated an official inquiry into the source of these images. This investigation follows reports that the data is being sold on a Russian cybercrime forum, Exploit, and includes personal identification documents from a vast number of individuals.
Source Traced to Identity Verification Company
Based on interviews with individuals whose licenses are available for purchase, the images appear to have been siphoned from a widely-used identity verification company located in Louisiana. The operators of Nexus claim the images are from an active breach at a "major identity verification company" that serves multiple Fortune 500 clients, stating they have been exfiltrating data for over a year.
Scope of the Breach
A preliminary review of Nexus's offerings suggests the claim of 153 million records is accurate, with a search returning approximately 11.5 million pages of results. While the data includes documents from both Canada and the United States, the majority are American records. Canadian driver's licenses account for about 1.1 million results, with Ontario having the largest concentration at 473,673 records. The records also include unusual items like marijuana dispensary cards and government-issued Common Access Cards (CAC).
Implications for Identity Security
This incident highlights a critical vulnerability in the systems of identity verification companies, which are entrusted with sensitive personal data. The widespread availability of driver's license scans and other identification documents on the dark web significantly increases the risk of identity theft and fraud for millions of individuals. The ongoing exfiltration of data for over a year indicates a prolonged security lapse.
Updates
- The Privacy Commissioner of Canada launched an investigation into IDScan.net.
- The probe will examine IDScan.net's security practices and victim notifications.
- The investigation will assess compliance with Canada's federal private-sector privacy law.
- Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne launched the probe.
- IDScan offers free credit monitoring and identity protection services.
- IDScan determined an unauthorized third party accessed customer information in its cloud.
- IDScan's announcement did not publicly connect the breach to the dark web marketplace.
- IDScan stated full access to the information required payment.
- IDScan is contacting potentially impacted individuals.
- IDScan became aware of the breach on or around September 1.
- TechCrunch first reported IDScan's security notice.
- IDScan confirmed the data breach in a website notice.
- IDScan's notice is the company's first acknowledgement of being hacked.
- IDScan's breach notification was published on September 4.
- IDScan's breach notification was configured with a noindex directive.
- IDScan faces multiple lawsuits.
- Law firms Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, and Hall Attorneys investigate class-action litigation.
- Brian Krebs reported the breach on September 1.
- IDScan provides hardware and software solutions for identity document scanning.
- IDScan systems are used in car rental firms, retailers, gun shops, financial institutions, cannabis dispensaries, and hospitality establishments.
- Hackers had access to the identity verification company's scans for over a year.
- The dark web service added 400,000 records on the day it was revealed.
- Nexus claims to possess IDs of over 170 million individuals.
- Nexus offers over 3 million travel documents and international IDs.
- Nexus offers roughly 580,000 medical cards.
- Approximately 1.1 million driver's licenses are from Canada.
- Nexus offers high-resolution scans with infrared and ultraviolet spectrum data.
- The data includes IDs of an FBI assistant director and security researchers.
- The data includes international driver's licenses and Common Access Cards.
- Nexus launched on the dark web this week.
- Nexus added about half a million new documents daily.
- The advert claims customer photos are displayed if available.
- Nexus also offered medical cards, employment records, and residence cards.
- The leaked data includes information belonging to US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
- The data is suspected to have originated from IDScan.
- IDScan is used by companies like Hertz and Planet13.
- Nexus also claimed to possess 10 million ID cards and 1.9 million travel documents.
- Nexus was advertised on the Russian cybercrime forum Exploit.
- Krebs on Security confirmed the authenticity of the claim by receiving a scan of his own driving license.
- Other victims also confirmed their scans were correct.
- The identity verification service is used by Fortune 500 companies.
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Primary sources
GitHub a8cteam51/techdirtHow outlets covered it
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada has launched an investigation into IDScan.net following reports that a data breach exposed personal data and driver's license scans of 153 million individuals. The probe will examine IDScan.net's security practices and the adequacy of victim notifications under Canadian privacy law.
Identity verification firm IDScan confirmed a data breach after hackers offered 153 million driver's license scans and other ID documents for sale on a dark web marketplace. The breach exposed full names and government identification numbers, impacting an undisclosed number of customers who use IDScan's cloud platform.
IDScan.net is offering free credit monitoring and identity protection services to customers following a data security incident. This incident may be linked to a dark web marketplace that was selling scans of driver's licenses, which was recently shut down amid an FBI investigation.
Identity verification company IDScan confirmed a data breach where hackers accessed customer data from its cloud platform, including full names and government-issued identification numbers. This incident follows reports linking IDScan to a database containing over 153 million stolen driver's license scans, impacting individuals whose data was stored for identity verification.
IDScan, an identity verification service, confirmed a data breach that resulted in the theft of driver's licenses and other government-issued identity documents from its cloud systems. This breach is significant because it exposes personal information, including full names and driver's license numbers, for potentially over 150 million individuals, impacting a large segment of the population whose data was handled by the company.
Identity verification company IDScan is facing multiple lawsuits after a dark-web service advertised access to over 153 million driver's licenses, which security researcher Brian Krebs traced back to IDScan. The lawsuits allege that IDScan failed to protect client information, potentially impacting individuals whose IDs were scanned by businesses using IDScan's systems.
A new dark web service is selling over 153 million scanned driver's licenses from the US and Canada, sourced from an identity verification company. This breach highlights significant privacy risks associated with online identity verification services, as the data was accessible to hackers for more than a year.
A threat actor offered over 153 million US and Canadian driver's license images on the dark web via an identity theft service called Nexus. Investigative journalist Brian Krebs linked the data to a likely breach at identity verification firm IDScan.net, prompting an FBI investigation.
A new dark web service named Nexus is offering over 153 million driver's licenses and other identification documents for sale, including high-resolution scans with infrared and ultraviolet spectrum data. The FBI is investigating the service, which appears to source data from various points, including potentially commercial driver's license systems and physical ID scans from businesses like car rental agencies or dispensaries. This incident highlights a significant breach of personal identification data, increasing risks for identity theft and the creation of sophisticated counterfeit IDs.
The identity verification service IDScan was likely breached, leading to the exfiltration of over 150 million driver's licenses and passports from US and Canadian residents. This breach is significant because IDScan is widely used by businesses to verify government-issued IDs, impacting a large number of individuals and raising concerns about the security of identity verification processes.
Digital scans of more than 153 million US and Canadian driver's licenses were offered for sale on the dark web by a service called Nexus. The FBI has launched an investigation, with a Louisiana-based ID verification company, IDScan, identified as the likely source of the breach. This incident highlights significant vulnerabilities in identity verification processes and the widespread impact of data breaches on personal information.
Over 153 million US and Canadian driver's licenses and other identity documents were reportedly available for purchase on a Russian cybercrime forum called Nexus. The data is suspected to have originated from IDScan, an identity-authentication service provider used by companies like Hertz and Planet13, and includes information belonging to US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
The FBI is investigating a data breach where digital scans of over 153 million driver's licenses from the US and Canada are being sold on the dark web. The data, which also includes medical and residence cards, reportedly originates from a hacked identity verification service used by Fortune 500 companies, raising significant identity theft concerns.
A new dark web service, Nexus, is selling digital scans of over 153 million driver's licenses from individuals in the United States and Canada, prompting an official inquiry by the FBI's New Orleans field office. The images appear to originate from a widely-used identity verification company based in Louisiana, indicating a significant data breach impacting personal identification. This incident highlights a major vulnerability in identity verification processes and poses a substantial risk for identity theft for millions of individuals.