In August 2024, National Public Data (NPD), a background check company, experienced a massive data breach that impacted around 2.9 billion records with sensitive information. Millions of people’s full names, Social Security numbers, phone numbers, and addresses were all up for grabs on the dark web.
Faced with the overwhelming financial strain from numerous lawsuits and the costs associated with the breach, NPD filed for bankruptcy just a few months later.
This breach, one of the largest in recent history, highlighted the growing risks businesses face in protecting sensitive data. With cybercriminals constantly evolving their tactics, companies can no longer afford to rely on reactive security measures alone.
The bittersweet truth is that a breach like that could have been avoided — or at least minimized — with the right security measures in place. Threat exposure management platforms like NordStellar help with data breach prevention by catching vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
716 million user contacts leaked on the dark web in 2024
According to research conducted by NordStellar, 716 million user contacts were leaked on the dark web in 2024. This included 554 million email addresses and 162 million phone numbers, leaving a vast number of people vulnerable to cyber threats. Most of the leaked data came from companies in the technology, media, financial services, commerce, and healthcare industries.
Once data is stolen in a breach, it often appears on dark web marketplaces within days or weeks — sometimes selling for pocket change. A credit card might go for just $15, a full identity package with your Social Security number for $20.
But it doesn’t just sit there — it gets put to use fast. Cybercriminals, from small-time scammers to organized crime groups, exploit sensitive personal data in many ways, including identity theft, phishing, financial fraud, and account takeovers. Cybercriminals use stolen data to scam, hack, and exploit victims, often combining breaches for more targeted attacks.
Average data breach costs reached $4.88M in 2024
According to IBM’s 2024 report, the global average cost of a data breach reached an all-time high of about $4.88 million. These costs usually include a range of expenses such as incident investigation, regulatory fines, legal fees, customer notification, credit monitoring services, system recovery, and lost business due to reputational damage.
However, the damaging consequences of a data breach don’t just end here. Beyond the immediate financial hit, businesses face long-term challenges that can be even more devastating.
Reputational damage can erode customer trust, driving people to competitors and amplifying negative publicity. Once trust is broken, it takes years to rebuild, affecting customer retention, brand perception, and even future business opportunities.
Operational disruptions also take a heavy toll. Recovering from a breach requires shutting down systems, investigating the incident, and implementing new security measures — all of which divert resources from growth and innovation.
Then come the legal and compliance issues. Data protection laws like GDPR and CCPA impose strict penalties, with fines reaching 4% of annual revenue or millions of dollars in penalties. High-profile cases like Meta’s €1.2 billion fine and Marriott’s $23.8 million penalty highlight how failing to protect user data can have severe consequences.
NordStellar: Proactive threat exposure management for businesses
Reactive security measures aren’t enough to protect your business from the avalanche of consequences that follow a data breach. IBM highlights that it can take around six months to even become aware that a data breach has happened, preventing companies from acting before it’s too late.
NordStellar, a threat exposure management platform created by the company behind NordVPN, detects threats early, minimizes damage, and ensures businesses can respond before a breach escalates.
NordStellar
Data breach monitoring
NordStellar keeps an eye on data breaches, malware infections, and leaked credentials to spot compromised employee or client information. It sends real-time alerts so security teams can act fast and limit damage.
By assessing risk levels and prioritizing incidents, it helps businesses handle breaches more efficiently. With data from both public and private sources, NordStellar makes sure teams stay informed and ready to respond.
Account takeover prevention
For instance, if hackers obtained the login details of a high-level employee like a CFO, they could approve fake wire transfers to drain company accounts. Or they could unlock payroll systems to redirect employee salaries. All of this could happen within hours of gaining access.
The account takeover prevention scans the deep and dark web for leaked credentials and checks them against employee, customer, and partner accounts. It blocks stolen passwords from being used during login, registration, and password changes.
Its password fuzzing feature analyzes breached passwords and generates variations based on common hacking techniques, preventing users from creating similar weak passwords that attackers could easily guess.
Session hijacking prevention
It monitors the dark web 24/7 for stolen session cookies and compromised credentials and alerts users when their data is found and detects malware-infected accounts.
Session cookies are small bits of data that websites use to keep you logged in, like a digital key proving it’s really you. If hackers steal them, they can slip into your account without needing your password, bypassing two-factor authentication (2FA) entirely.
If a session is stolen, NordStellar automatically invalidates it to block attackers from gaining access. This prevents hackers from using stolen cookies to log in, transfer money, or take other unauthorized actions.
Other tips for avoiding data breaches
Besides using a data breach monitoring system like NordStellar, businesses should take additional steps to protect their data and minimize security risks. Here are some key measures to strengthen your defenses:
- Use strong access controls. Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) and limit access to sensitive data based on user roles.
- Encrypt important data. Protect stored and transmitted data with end-to-end encryption and secure password hashing.
- Keep software updated. Install security updates regularly to fix weak spots hackers could exploit.
- Train employees on cybersecurity. Teach staff to spot phishing scams, weak passwords, and social engineering tricks.
- Enforce strong passwords. Require unique, complex passwords and encourage password managers.
- Use a business VPN. Secure remote connections and protect company data from cyber threats, especially when accessing sensitive systems from outside the office.
- Back up data regularly. Store secure backups and test recovery plans to avoid losing data in an attack.
Conclusion: don’t wait for a data breach
A data breach can have devastating consequences, from financial losses and legal troubles to reputational damage and business disruptions. Being proactive is the only way to stay ahead of cyber threats. Businesses must identify vulnerabilities, monitor for leaked data, and respond quickly to prevent stolen information from being exploited.
NordStellar helps businesses do exactly that. Its threat exposure management solutions detect compromised credentials, block unauthorized access, and provide real-time alerts to stop cyberattacks before they escalate. Instead of waiting for a breach to happen, companies can take control of their security and protect their most valuable assets before it’s too late.
