The FBI has reported that approximately 153 million driver’s license scans and associated personal data belonging to residents of the United States and Canada are being actively offered for sale on dark web marketplaces, marking one of the largest identity theft data breaches in recent history.
The compromised data includes photos, dates of birth, addresses, and other sensitive personally identifiable information (PII), exposing millions to significant risks of identity theft, fraudulent bank account openings, credit fraud, and extortion.
U.S. and Canadian authorities are collaborating with cybersecurity experts to trace the source of the leak and pursue legal action against the perpetrators. The FBI has urged citizens to take immediate protective measures, including:
· Monitoring bank accounts and credit cards regularly.
· Placing a credit freeze with major credit bureaus.
· Enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) on all sensitive accounts.
· Staying vigilant against phishing scams that may leverage this stolen data.
Cybersecurity experts warn that this breach is a stark reminder of the critical importance of data protection, and call on organizations to strengthen their security frameworks to prevent future massive data leaks.