FBI investigating 153 million US and Canadian driver’s licenses leaked on Russian cybercrime forum, including that of US SecDef Pete Hegseth — data is suspected to have come from an ID-authentication service provider
The leak was traced to a major ID-authentication service based in Louisiana, serving major companies like Hertz, Target, and the United States Coast Guard.
A dark web forum reportedly sold 153 million U.S. and Canadian driver's licenses and other identity documents last month. Cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs, who discovered the leak, found the documents to be authentic, particularly after searching for the data of his friends and family members with their consent. The IDs were allegedly sourced from an ID-authentication service based in Louisiana, which was advertised on the Russian cybercrime forum Exploit.
Notably, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's information was also available on the breached database, raising security concerns for someone in such a sensitive position. Further investigation revealed that the IDs were likely sourced from a Louisiana-based company called IDScan, which provided identity verification and authentication services to Planet13 and Hertz.
Both companies contract IDScan for these services, confirming that the leak originates from IDScan. The FBI has launched an official investigation into the breach, and IDScan stated they were currently investigating the matter. The leak of such a massive amount of sensitive data raises privacy concerns, particularly in light of the push for online age verification requirements.
Privacy experts worry that this incident could lead to increased instances of identity theft and compromise the privacy and security of vulnerable individuals, such as those fleeing domestic violence and those under witness protection programs.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Hardware's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
