Millions could qualify for a $6,000 settlement due to a data breach.

      Sora Shimazaki / Pexels

      Millions of Americans might qualify for up to $6,000 from a significant data breach settlement, but they need to act quickly since the deadline is this Monday, according to Newsweek. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., a global insurance brokerage and risk management firm, has reached a $21 million settlement after hackers compromised sensitive data in a breach that occurred between June 3 and September 26, 2020. Even more concerning, the firm informed affected individuals nearly a year later. Those impacted were unaware that their Social Security numbers, personal identifying information, health information, usernames, passwords, medical information, biometric data, and credit card information had been stolen.

      You can file a claim if you were associated with the firm during that period in 2020. However, to be eligible for compensation, you must demonstrate that you incurred financial damages due to the breach. Claims can be submitted on the settlement website, ajgdatasettlement.com, by Monday, February 10. Alternatively, you may mail your claim, provided it is postmarked by February 10 or earlier. Be sure to include proof of identity and any documentation that shows you experienced financial losses or expenses stemming from the breach. For instance, acceptable documents include bank statements, receipts for identity theft protection services, or bills.

      Christopher E. Roberts, a class action attorney at Butsch Roberts & Associates LLC, told Newsweek: “This settlement is significant for two main reasons. First, it underscores the ongoing prevalence of data breaches. Data breach class actions are among the largest, if not the largest, types of class action cases being filed. Second, it emphasizes the necessity for companies to establish robust measures to protect consumer data… even large firms, including one of the largest insurance brokerages in the world, can fall victim to data breaches.”

      The available compensation is a maximum of $6,000, which includes credit monitoring and identity theft insurance; however, the total amount may vary based on the number of valid claims submitted. While it may not be the largest data breach in history, it illustrates the ongoing threats that compromise our data security.

      Judy Sanhz is a Digital Trends computing writer focusing on all computing-related news and has a passion for all operating systems and devices.

      New details have emerged about what is thought to be one of the most significant breaches in internet history. According to Tom's Hardware, a user identified as Fenice claims to have released a more comprehensive version of the purportedly stolen data from the background check company National Public Data for free on a popular hacking forum.

      On August 6, Fenice shared data concerning 2.9 billion personal records and stated that a different hacker known as SXUL, rather than USDoD, was responsible for the breach. While previous copies of the data had circulated, none seem to be as complete as the one Fenice offered. However, there are clear issues with the data, including inaccurate Social Security numbers.

      Background check firm National Public Data, also referred to as Jerico Pictures, reportedly experienced one of the most substantial data breaches in history, impacting 2.9 billion personal records and disclosing sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, as indicated in a class-action lawsuit document sourced by Bloomberg Law. Even more troubling is that the details regarding how the breach occurred and who was affected remain unclear.

      It's important to note that National Public Data has yet to confirm the breach, which means much of the information is derived from the lawsuit or the hacking group. Therefore, some of the reported figures should be approached cautiously, but the overall outlook appears grim.

      Data breaches are frequent occurrences, but when major companies are affected, it raises immediate concerns about the critical data that might be exposed. Recently, a notorious cybercriminal known as Intelbroker claimed to have hacked AMD and subsequently followed up with allegations of breaching Apple, even sharing internal source code on a hacking forum.

      Apple has not responded yet, leaving us only with the forum post, first shared by HackManac on X (formerly Twitter). The post asserts that Apple suffered a data breach that resulted in the exposure of the source code for some internal tools, including AppleConnect-SSO and Apple-HWE-Confluence-Advanced. Fortunately, there has been no indication of any customer data being compromised, but there could still be implications for Apple if these claims are substantiated.