Driver's License Data Breach Exposes Millions on Dark Web ID Theft Service

Not long ago, I rented an SUV from a well-known car rental company. Within hours of an employee scanning my driver’s license, a high-resolution scan of my ID was available for sale on the dark web.

An exposé published Tuesday by KrebsOnSecurity reports that my license was one of more than 153 million that were available through Nexus, the name of the new ID theft service. Like other driver’s licenses available there—including some belonging to journalist Brian Krebs, his mother, an FBI assistant director, and several security researchers—my license was purported to include multiple image files showing both the front and back of the ID. Besides a basic image scan, the files also captured the images in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums. Presumably, the additional formats may allow cloned-based counterfeit IDs to pass hologram tests.

Growing by the day

Besides advertising the availability of driver’s licenses, Nexus offered to sell a bevy of other forms of ID. They included:

Identification cards

Travel cards

International DL/ID

Medical cards

Common Access Cards

Residence cards

Employment authorizations

Krebs said the FBI is investigating.

Some of the records Krebs observed listed their “source” as “CDL,” which may be short for “commercial driver’s license.” Other records identified the source notation as “CAC,” which may refer to Common Access Cards, which Krebs said are “government issued identity cards that grant physical access to government buildings and secure rooms.” Nexus also claimed to provide scans of marijuana dispensary cards. One of the victims he talked to reported visiting a Las Vegas outlet of Planet13, a multi-state dispensary chain.

The timing of newly available scans—typically within a day, if not hours, of me and a small sample of other victims presenting them at rental companies or others—likely means that Nexus has near real-time access to data flowing through the third-party scanning service these businesses are using. Over a span of 24 hours, Krebs said the number of driver’s licenses listed as available grew by almost 400,000. That’s another indication that the breach has been ongoing and new cards become available shortly after they’re harvested.

Using publicly available information, Krebs found that IDScan.net, a New Orleans-based ID scanning service, has announced an exclusive arrangement with Planet13. It also listed Hertz and 11 other companies as using its services. IDScan.net went on to say that its scans capture both infrared and ultraviolet spectra.

Representatives from IDScan didn’t immediately answer questions sent by email. An IDScan.net spokesperson told Krebs the company is investigating. My car rental company representatives also didn’t immediately answer questions.

The availability of my driver’s license to anyone willing to cough up a fee isn’t exactly a comforting thought. Yes, my personal details—including current and former addresses, Social Security number, demographics, and more—have been breached before, just as they have for millions, if not billions, of others around the world.

This dump is more troubling because of the purported availability of scans in ultraviolet and infrared. Fortunately, Nexus went dark within hours of the KrebsOnSecurity scoop, although that also means there’s no way for people to check if their IDs are included. Also somewhat consoling is the ongoing investigation by the FBI.