Hacker puts 290,000 driver licence records for sale on the dark web stolen from government computers

A dataset has been listed for sale on the dark web that purports to hold over a quarter of a million driver licence records compromised from a government-linked databases in Louisiana, United States.

The hacker, who is using the alias 'NSA', has uploaded the data to an underground marketplace called The Real Deal and claims the compromised data dump is home to over 290,000 driver records in total.

The data is listed under the title 'State of Louisiana Driver's Licence Database', however the hacker does not elaborate on the true source of the information. In the description, he or she says the driver licence records originated from "various organisations within Louisiana."

The records, at least according to the hacker, include names, date of births, addresses, ZIP codes, phone numbers and email addresses. Interestingly, the dataset also reportedly holds details about infringements such as speeding, theft and even murder on behalf of drivers.

The ages of those in the records range from teenager to senior citizen and the most common date of birth is 1983. "Within the database, you'll find that there are records that aren't of Louisiana origin like Texas or Delaware, this is due to tourists, travellers, etc. or the individual may simply be in Louisiana without a Louisiana DL," the hacker added.

It is noted the 'NSA' hacker has no history of selling on The Real Deal – and without the reputation or 'positive feedback' that is built up over time he or she may find it difficult to shift the data dump.

Unlike other sellers on the platform, such as the well-known Peace_of_Mind who is responsible for listing hacks including Tumblr, MySpace and LinkedIn, NSA does not have a store front and appears to be a one-off vendor.

As a result, 'NSA' has attempted to prove the legitimacy of the dataset by providing a small sample on the Real Deal page. It shows the name of a Louisiana-based citizen, alongside date of birth, zip code, home address and details about a $204.50 speeding ticket.

In terms of price, 'NSA' states: "Make me an offer that you and I can both agree to and I'll create a private listing that you can use to purchase this database. Don't bother contacting me if you're going to hit me with lowball offers." The Real Deal, like all dark web-hosted marketplaces, accepts payment in bitcoin which is a form of cryptocurrency that can help purchases stay anonymous online.