What happened in the Court Ventures data breach?
Twingate Team
•
May 24, 2024
In October 2013, it was revealed that Court Ventures, a public records aggregator acquired by Experian in March 2012, had been providing access to US Info Search data to a Vietnamese criminal posing as a legitimate private investigator. The breach involved unauthorized disclosure of consumer information, leading to a multistate investigation by 42 state Attorneys Generals. Experian eventually reached a settlement with all participating state Attorneys General after years of negotiations. The criminal, Hieu Minh Ngo, operated an identity theft service under various names and sold packages of consumer data for illegal activities.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach compromised data for approximately 200 million users.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included Social Security numbers, names, addresses, dates of birth, and other personal identifying information.
How was Court Ventures hacked?
Hieu Minh Ngo, a Vietnamese national, breached the personal and financial data of American citizens by posing as a private investigator and contracting with Court Ventures, a public records aggregator. Ngo ran an identity theft service called Superget.info from his home in Vietnam. He gained access to consumer records, including Social Security numbers and dates of birth, compromising data for over 200 million Americans. The breach was discovered when the U.S. Secret Service informed Experian, which had acquired Court Ventures, about the unauthorized reselling of U.S. Info Search data.
Court Ventures's solution
In response to the data breach, Court Ventures took action to mitigate the damage and prevent future incidents. They discontinued reselling U.S. Info Search's data to Hieu Minh Ngo and cooperated fully with the U.S. Secret Service in their investigation. Although specific security measures were not detailed in the available sources, it can be inferred that Court Ventures worked to enhance their security protocols and collaborated with relevant authorities to address the issue.
How do I know if I was affected?
It is unclear whether Court Ventures directly reached out to affected users following the breach. However, individuals concerned about their data can visit Have I Been Pwned to check if their email has been compromised in this or any other data breach.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Passwords: Immediately update your passwords for all online accounts. Make sure the new passwords are strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on your important online accounts. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
Monitor Your Credit: Keep an eye on your credit reports and financial accounts for any suspicious activity. Report any discrepancies to the appropriate financial institutions immediately.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the Court Ventures data breach, check out the following news articles:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
What happened in the Court Ventures data breach?
Twingate Team
•
May 24, 2024
In October 2013, it was revealed that Court Ventures, a public records aggregator acquired by Experian in March 2012, had been providing access to US Info Search data to a Vietnamese criminal posing as a legitimate private investigator. The breach involved unauthorized disclosure of consumer information, leading to a multistate investigation by 42 state Attorneys Generals. Experian eventually reached a settlement with all participating state Attorneys General after years of negotiations. The criminal, Hieu Minh Ngo, operated an identity theft service under various names and sold packages of consumer data for illegal activities.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach compromised data for approximately 200 million users.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included Social Security numbers, names, addresses, dates of birth, and other personal identifying information.
How was Court Ventures hacked?
Hieu Minh Ngo, a Vietnamese national, breached the personal and financial data of American citizens by posing as a private investigator and contracting with Court Ventures, a public records aggregator. Ngo ran an identity theft service called Superget.info from his home in Vietnam. He gained access to consumer records, including Social Security numbers and dates of birth, compromising data for over 200 million Americans. The breach was discovered when the U.S. Secret Service informed Experian, which had acquired Court Ventures, about the unauthorized reselling of U.S. Info Search data.
Court Ventures's solution
In response to the data breach, Court Ventures took action to mitigate the damage and prevent future incidents. They discontinued reselling U.S. Info Search's data to Hieu Minh Ngo and cooperated fully with the U.S. Secret Service in their investigation. Although specific security measures were not detailed in the available sources, it can be inferred that Court Ventures worked to enhance their security protocols and collaborated with relevant authorities to address the issue.
How do I know if I was affected?
It is unclear whether Court Ventures directly reached out to affected users following the breach. However, individuals concerned about their data can visit Have I Been Pwned to check if their email has been compromised in this or any other data breach.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Passwords: Immediately update your passwords for all online accounts. Make sure the new passwords are strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on your important online accounts. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
Monitor Your Credit: Keep an eye on your credit reports and financial accounts for any suspicious activity. Report any discrepancies to the appropriate financial institutions immediately.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the Court Ventures data breach, check out the following news articles:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
What happened in the Court Ventures data breach?
Twingate Team
•
May 24, 2024
In October 2013, it was revealed that Court Ventures, a public records aggregator acquired by Experian in March 2012, had been providing access to US Info Search data to a Vietnamese criminal posing as a legitimate private investigator. The breach involved unauthorized disclosure of consumer information, leading to a multistate investigation by 42 state Attorneys Generals. Experian eventually reached a settlement with all participating state Attorneys General after years of negotiations. The criminal, Hieu Minh Ngo, operated an identity theft service under various names and sold packages of consumer data for illegal activities.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach compromised data for approximately 200 million users.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included Social Security numbers, names, addresses, dates of birth, and other personal identifying information.
How was Court Ventures hacked?
Hieu Minh Ngo, a Vietnamese national, breached the personal and financial data of American citizens by posing as a private investigator and contracting with Court Ventures, a public records aggregator. Ngo ran an identity theft service called Superget.info from his home in Vietnam. He gained access to consumer records, including Social Security numbers and dates of birth, compromising data for over 200 million Americans. The breach was discovered when the U.S. Secret Service informed Experian, which had acquired Court Ventures, about the unauthorized reselling of U.S. Info Search data.
Court Ventures's solution
In response to the data breach, Court Ventures took action to mitigate the damage and prevent future incidents. They discontinued reselling U.S. Info Search's data to Hieu Minh Ngo and cooperated fully with the U.S. Secret Service in their investigation. Although specific security measures were not detailed in the available sources, it can be inferred that Court Ventures worked to enhance their security protocols and collaborated with relevant authorities to address the issue.
How do I know if I was affected?
It is unclear whether Court Ventures directly reached out to affected users following the breach. However, individuals concerned about their data can visit Have I Been Pwned to check if their email has been compromised in this or any other data breach.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Passwords: Immediately update your passwords for all online accounts. Make sure the new passwords are strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on your important online accounts. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
Monitor Your Credit: Keep an eye on your credit reports and financial accounts for any suspicious activity. Report any discrepancies to the appropriate financial institutions immediately.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the Court Ventures data breach, check out the following news articles:
Solutions
Solutions
The VPN replacement your workforce will love.
Solutions