IDScan

Summary

IDScan confirmed that hackers stole driver’s licenses from its cloud systems, including full names, license numbers, photos, and identity numbers from other government-issued documents such as passports. The exposed database reportedly contained records for more than 150 million people in the United States and Canada and was accessible through a dark web search site, with full access allegedly requiring payment. The Louisiana-based identity verification company said its investigation was ongoing, while the FBI said it was investigating and the Pentagon said it was aware of the suspected breach.

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Description

IDScan, a Louisiana-based identity verification company, confirmed that hackers stole driver’s licenses from its systems. An earlier report described the incident as a year-long hack. Before acknowledging the intrusion, IDScan had said it was investigating an incident but had not confirmed that an intrusion had occurred. In a notice posted on its website, the company said that the stolen information came from its cloud. The exposed data included full names, driver’s license numbers, and identity numbers from other government-issued documents, including passports. IDScan’s notice was its first public acknowledgment that it had been hacked.

The company said it received information on or around September 1 about a claim of a hack. On the same day, cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs first reported the breach. Krebs said he had been alerted to a dark web website where users could search driver’s license information for more than 150 million people in the United States and Canada. The site also allowed access to photos associated with the records. Krebs verified the authenticity of the data by examining his own record. The database included records connected to high-profile individuals, including U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, as well as a security researcher who verified his own data for Krebs’ report.

IDScan provides identity-document checking and verification services to corporate customers, including entertainment venues and cannabis dispensaries. Its website states that the company holds more than 150 million driver’s license records, although the company did not state how many individuals were affected by the breach. The notice said that full access to the information required payment. IDScan also stated that its investigation was ongoing. The company did not provide TechCrunch with further comment about the incident, including whether hackers had contacted it with a ransom demand not to release the data.

The suspected breach drew attention from government agencies. The Pentagon told TechCrunch that it was aware of the suspected breach, and an FBI spokesperson said the agency was investigating the incident. IDScan’s website notice was intended to notify potentially affected individuals while the investigation continued. The confirmed impact described by the company was the theft of driver’s license records and related government identity information from its cloud systems.

Sources

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