AI Generated Image
It sure looks like hackers breached a major ID card verification service
TechCrunch • • business
Key Points:
- A massive data breach reportedly exposed over 150 million driver’s licenses and passports from the US and Canada, linked to a hack of an identity verification company called IDScan.
- The stolen data was made searchable on a dark web site named Nexus, which claimed to add around 500,000 new documents daily from near real-time access to the company’s systems.
- Independent journalist Brian Krebs confirmed the authenticity of the breach after finding his own and others’ IDs, including that of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, in the leaked database.
- IDScan, a Louisiana-based identity verification service used by major brands, is investigating the breach while the FBI is reportedly probing the incident; Nexus went offline shortly after the report surfaced.
- The breach highlights growing privacy and security risks as governments increasingly require ID uploads for age verification on websites and apps, raising concerns about the safety of stored identity documents.
