1 hr ago
Dark Web Driver’s Licence Database Triggers FBI Investigation
A website on the dark web said it had millions of identity documents from the United States and Canada.
These documents reportedly included driver’s licences, identification cards, travel documents and medical cards.
The service was called Nexus.
Researchers think the information may have come from a company called IDScan.net, which scans identity documents.
The FBI is investigating where the information came from.
Stolen licence images could help criminals pretend to be other people or open accounts.
Experts also warned that vulnerable people could face serious safety risks.
The Nexus website later disappeared, but that does not mean the information is gone.
A dark-web service called Nexus advertised records for more than 170 million North American people.
The database reportedly includes over 153 million driver’s licences and millions of other identity documents.
KrebsOnSecurity identified IDScan.net as a possible source of the allegedly stolen information.
The FBI’s New Orleans field office opened an investigation into the suspected breach.
Nexus disappeared after the report, but there is no evidence the allegedly stolen data was deleted.
- Who
- The dark-web operators of Nexus, IDScan.net, KrebsOnSecurity and the FBI are involved; people whose documents were allegedly exposed may be affected.
- What
- A suspected breach allegedly exposed more than 153 million driver’s licence scans and other identity documents.
- Where
- The documents reportedly concern people in the United States and Canada; Nexus was advertised on the Russian cybercrime forum Exploit, and the FBI investigation is based in New Orleans.
- When
- Nexus advertised the service on August 31; its operators claimed data had been collected for more than a year, and the FBI investigation is ongoing.
- Why
- The suspected breach may enable identity theft and expose sensitive information, while the source and scope of the data remain under investigation.
Exposure and Risk Concerns
Source and Scope Remain Unconfirmed
Possible data source
Exposure and Risk Concerns
KrebsOnSecurity and cybersecurity researchers pointed to IDScan.net, citing timestamps and licence scans that appeared connected to identity checks at businesses and vehicle-rental locations.
Source and Scope Remain Unconfirmed
IDScan.net said it was investigating and did not provide substantive answers to specific questions, so the source and full scope of the alleged breach have not been established.
Potential consequences
Exposure and Risk Concerns
Researchers warned that stolen licence scans could facilitate identity theft, fraudulent financial accounts and risks to domestic-violence survivors or people in witness-protection programs.
Source and Scope Remain Unconfirmed
The available reporting describes alleged exposure and warnings, but does not establish that every advertised record is genuine or that the data has been used for fraud.
Key facts
- Alleged driver’s licence records
- More than 153 million
- Other alleged documents
- Over 10 million identification cards, more than 3 million travel documents or international IDs, and at least 579,000 medical cards
- Canadian licence records
- About 1.1 million, including nearly 474,000 from Ontario
- Possible source
- IDScan.net, a Louisiana-based identity verification provider
- Investigator
- The FBI’s New Orleans field office
- Nexus status
- Its dark-web website reportedly disappeared after the KrebsOnSecurity report
- Company response
- IDScan.net said it was investigating but did not provide substantive answers to specific questions
Quotes
Jillian Kossman
Marketing and operations leader at IDScan.net
“This happens and the very thing those improvements are dependent on are compromised”
livemint.com
“At this point I’m not able to share any additional information”
livemint.com
Nexus service website
Login page for the dark-web identity theft service
“This service is no longer available.”
livemint.com
Sources
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