3 Major Database Companies Hacked

Three major U.S. data providers said on Wednesday they were victims of cyber attacks, after a cybersecurity news website linked the breaches to a group that sells stolen social security numbers and other sensitive information.

An FBI spokeswoman said the bureau was investing the breaches but declined to elaborate.

The disclosures, by Dun & Bradstreet Corp, Altegrity Inc's Kroll Background America Inc and Reed Elsevier's LexisNexis Inc, came after website KrebsOnSecurity first reported the breaches.

The site said the attacks were masterminded by a cybercrime ring that sold stolen data such as credit reports through the website ssndob.ms, or SSNDOB.

The ring offered social security numbers, birthdays and other personal data of U.S. residents for between 50 cents and $2.50 per record, KrebsOnSecurity reported. Credit reports and background checks cost between $5 and $15, the cybersecurity site reported after a seven-month investigation into SSNDOB.

KrebsOnSecurity said the group placed malicious software on servers at LexisNexis as early as April 2013, suggesting that the attackers had access to its internal networks for at least five months.