Dark web service sold scans of 153 million US and Canadian drivers licenses
A dark web marketplace called Nexus was offering digital scans of over 153 million driver's licenses from the US and Canada, along with 10 million ID cards, 3 million travel documents and half a million medical cards, affecting roughly 170 million people. Journalist Brian Krebs traced the data to a Louisiana-based ID verification firm and found the license of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth among the leaked files. The FBI has opened an inquiry, and the Nexus service disappeared from the dark web the same day Krebs published his findings.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The breach exposes how little oversight exists over third-party identity verification companies that store sensitive personal documents at massive scale. As regulators push for stricter online age verification requiring ID uploads, this leak shows the real risk of centralizing such data with poorly secured vendors, potentially enabling widespread identity theft and fraud.
- Over 153 million driver's licenses and 170 million total identity documents were exposed via a dark web service.
- The leak reportedly originated from a Louisiana-based ID verification company and included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's license.
- The FBI is investigating, but the Nexus service vanished from the dark web shortly after the leak was publicized.
Amazon Basics 12-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper Shredder — When 153 million ID scans are floating around the dark web, the least you can do is stop feeding new copies of your documents into the trash. This cross-cut shredder turns old license photocopies, medical forms and bank statements into confetti, and it handles credit cards too. It's a simple, one-time defense for the paper half of your identity.
See Amazon Basics 12-Sheet Cross-Cut Paper Shredder on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: futurism.com — Victor Tangermann, 2026-09-03
Published there as: “Hackers Are Selling Stolen Scans of 153 Million US and Canadian Drivers Licenses, Which Very Likely Include Yours”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.