A massive data breach involving over 170 million records has been traced to People Data Labs (PDL), a San Francisco-based data broker. The leaked information includes sensitive data such as full names, phone numbers, emails, locations, skills, professional summaries, education, and employment history, heightening the risk of identity theft for those affected.

The breach was discovered on June 25 and is attributed to an unprotected Elasticsearch server, indicating potential mismanagement of PDL's data by a third party. The leak highlights a significant vulnerability in data protection practices.

The incident echoes a previous breach from October 2019, where over a billion records were exposed, allegedly impacting 622 million individuals. Despite claims from PDL denying responsibility, this recent leak underscores ongoing concerns about the company's data security protocols.

Cybernews points out that data brokers often lack rigorous checks and controls, raising questions about how such breaches can continue to occur. If this breach involves new data rather than old records from the 2019 incident, it reflects poorly on PDL's commitment to securing personal data.