Your Social Security Number is on the Dark Web: What Do You Do?
If you’re worried about your Social Security number being shopped on the dark web, where cybercriminals go to buy and sell stolen personal information of all kinds, the 2024 National Public Data breach probably left you feeling unsettled. In early 2024, hackers gained control of the background check operator’s systems and exposed up to 2.9 billion personal financial records, including full names, current and past addresses, Social Security numbers and information on parents, siblings and other relatives.
Once a Social Security number appears on the dark web, bad actors can use it to cause significant damage. They may take out credit cards in your name, collect Social Security benefits fraudulently, or even implicate you in criminal activities. They might also obtain medical care under your identity, secure employment pretending to be you, file fraudulent tax returns before you do, or tarnish your reputation by posing as you in public forums.
What are the best ways to keep your Social Security number off the dark web? What do you do when you find yourself in this situation? Finally, what are actionable steps to take if you find your Social Security number compromised? Here are some answers.
How Social Security Numbers End Up on the Dark Web
In most thefts involving Social Security numbers, the number itself is just one piece of a bigger puzzle that includes much more information about the person. In the U.S., a Social Security number is required to sign up for utility services, file taxes, apply for benefits, open bank accounts or credit lines, secure employment, or make an investment. If your Social Security number is compromised, it’s likely that there are other records attached to it. That makes it lucrative for a scammer to use the information to carry out an identity theft scheme or peddle it to other bad actors looking to do the same.
The dark web provides a particularly fertile ground for conducting scam campaigns. Its complex, layered encryption systems help keep users’ identities and locations anonymous, giving cybercriminals ample room to communicate and share data confidentially.
Social Security numbers tend to end up on the dark web in two key ways. The first is phishing. Cybercriminals often set up phishing pages impersonating public or private institutions and agencies and request all sorts of sensitive information, including Social Security numbers.
Phishing has been a popular tactic for years, and now security practitioners are bracing for newer threats involving artificial intelligence (AI). Generative AI programs such as ChatGPT enable threat actors to create coherent, conversational and seemingly legitimate messages quickly, helping to amplify social engineering attack effectiveness. Many phishing campaigns make use of infostealers. This type of malware gains access to computers and mobile devices via phishing, scams and other tactics. They then search for and extract sensitive information, like passwords, login credentials and Social Security numbers, sending it back to the attackers.
The second, and most frequent, way a Social Security number makes it to the dark web is through data breaches. Hackers break into various services, dump databases and then sell the stolen information. Data breach numbers continue to rise year after year, with nearly two-thirds carried out by actors outside of the victimized organization.
Uncovering Unusual Activity
Is your Social Security number on the dark web? How do you find out if it is? There are ways to detect unusual activity that could trace to fraudulent uses of your Social Security number. Here are some steps you can take.
- Use a dark web monitoring service: Digital identity protection and digital identity monitoring solutions send immediate alerts if your Social Security number shows up in questionable places.
- Monitor account activity: Check bank and credit card statements and health insurance records for unauthorized charges or claims. Set up alerts to flag any large or unusual transactions.
- Check your credit reports: Review your reports and identify any suspicious loans, credit inquiries, or changes to personal information. You can request a copy of your credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Watch for unusual mail: Take note if you receive mail that doesn’t seem to apply to you, particularly during key calendar events such as tax season, the holiday shopping months, or the run-up to an election. These communications could indicate fraud using your Social Security number.
- Sign up for government alerts: Authorize the IRS and Social Security Administration to monitor your tax filings and benefits for any suspicious activity. To set up free monitoring accounts, contact the SSA at www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
- Respond to breach notifications: If a company notifies you that a data breach may have involved your Social Security number, take immediate action (don’t ignore or put off). To freeze your credit, contact the three credit bureaus individually: Experian Freeze Center, Equifax Credit Report Services and TransUnion Credit Freezes.
If you do find your Social Security number has been compromised, there is no easy way to get it removed from the dark web. Most forums on the platform are illegal hubs, and they of course wouldn’t honor removal requests like typical web services do. You can try to get your number changed, but it’s difficult. In rare cases of severe identity theft, the Social Security Administration (SSA) may allow you to apply for a new Social Security number. However, this is granted only under specific circumstances and is a complex process.
Secure Your Information
Proactively securing your information is the best strategy to take.
- First, safeguard your personal information. Use strong, unique passwords and turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible. Be careful when sharing personal information online and provide your Social Security number and other sensitive details only when mandatory.
- Second, make sure to secure your devices. Update operating systems and apps, use antimalware software and encrypt your data to prevent unauthorized access. When browsing the internet on public Wi-Fi, always use a VPN. And protect all devices, including mobile phones. Surprisingly, research shows that while 78% of cell phone users conduct sensitive transactions on their devices, 48% forego mobile security solutions.
- Last, understand how criminals work on the dark web. Becoming acquainted with hackers’ pretexts and tactics to extort information from you can underscore the importance of keeping your data private. These subcultures, which range from cybercriminal hubs to forums for political dissidents, influence the evolution of internet privacy measures and the landscape of cyber threats, which businesses must contend with in their operations.
Looking Ahead: Social Security Number Theft is Here to Stay
Social Security number theft isn’t going away anytime soon, but researchers are working on ways to solve the problem. Technologies are emerging that can flag suspicious activity involving Social Security numbers and make fraud more costly for hackers. AI-driven tools can analyze significant amounts of data, and future fraud prevention systems will likely act more quickly, allowing for faster response times when Social Security numbers are detected in suspicious activities.
Other technologies that could become part of the authentication stack will likely gain massive adoption in the following years. The development of biometric authentication on mobile phones and laptops (fingerprints, facial recognition, voice recognition) and behavioral biometrics (keystroke patterns, device usage) can further protect identities. These systems are much harder for cybercriminals to replicate and could replace static identifiers like Social Security numbers in many scenarios.
People are right to be concerned about Social Security numbers being shopped and sold on the dark web. The technology and security industries are constantly working on new solutions to combat fraud, but in the meantime, it is critical to take precautions to protect sensitive information and be prepared to act quickly if you’ve been compromised.
