153 Million US and Canadian Driver’s Licenses Listed for Sale on Russian Forum via IDScan

The collection surfaced when cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs identified his own license as a sample on Nexus, a search service on the Russian-language Exploit forum. Timestamps matched dates when individuals presented IDs at Hertz rentals and Planet 13 dispensaries, both of which used IDScan for verification. The seller claimed additional holdings of 10 million ID cards and 1.9 million travel documents before Nexus went offline.

IDScan functions as a centralized third-party processor, concentrating sensitive scans from unrelated businesses into one point of failure. This architecture allowed a single compromise to expose records from vehicle rentals, cannabis sales, and other transactions across jurisdictions. Full UV and infrared data in some files increases the utility for sophisticated document forgery beyond basic identity theft.

No public attribution has linked the breach to state actors, yet the aggregation of high-value identity material on a Russian forum aligns with patterns of criminal marketplaces serving both private fraud and potential intelligence collection. The presence of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s record illustrates how such exposures create downstream risks for officials whose travel and financial patterns are already monitored.

IDScan stated it is reviewing the data provided by Krebs. The FBI investigation continues without disclosed findings on initial access vector or total records confirmed as authentic. Affected individuals face prolonged monitoring requirements given the permanence of scanned government documents.