Global Warning with Ryan McBeth
Sep 20, 2026 · 22 min · 12 segments
On this week’s Global Warning: - **153 million people had their photo IDs stolen!** <!--THE END--> - **World War III is not the scary part** <!--THE END--> - **AI doesn’t need guardrails, just a…
Ryan McBethHost
Arts Technica and Krebs on Security reported an unusual theft of millions of identity cards, which a service known as Nexus packaged and sold on the dark web.
This service, Nexus, was a large dark web identity theft service that exploited an active data leak from a major ID verification service in New Orleans.
Nexus was selling access to photo IDs, travel cards, international driver's license, identification cards, medical cards, common access cards, and employee verification.
Krebs, a cybersecurity blog that first reported the leak, said a growing number of victims appeared to have had their IDs stolen after visiting businesses that required ID verification, such as dispensaries, rental car companies, and more.
These businesses scanned IDs into an ID verification system, which stored the information elsewhere.
Brian Krebs found that this pointed to a New Orleans company that had exclusive business dealings with other companies which acquired ID verification services, including those in the Fortune 500.
There, he found an ad which offered digital scans of identity documents on more than 170 million people in North America.
Krebs later found his mother's ID card and several friends' IDs on the Nexus service.
So why does this matter? In an age where cybersecurity threats are becoming nightmares for policymakers, everyday Americans, and our national defense, security can't be a second thought.
It also shows that the days of age verification might be dead on arrival until security improves, which might be a good thing for all those libertarian types out there.
Now, who gets prosecuted for negligence here? Who goes to jail or pays the fines? Those are questions we may need to address as we move forward.
Arts Technica and Krebs on Security reported an unusual theft of millions of identity cards, which a service known as Nexus packaged and sold on the dark web.
This service, Nexus, was a large dark web identity theft service that exploited an active data leak from a major ID verification service in New Orleans.
Nexus was selling access to photo IDs, travel cards, international driver's license, identification cards, medical cards, common access cards, and employee verification.
Krebs, a cybersecurity blog that first reported the leak, said a growing number of victims appeared to have had their IDs stolen after visiting businesses that required ID verification, such as dispensaries, rental car companies, and more.
These businesses scanned IDs into an ID verification system, which stored the information elsewhere.
Brian Krebs found that this pointed to a New Orleans company that had exclusive business dealings with other companies which acquired ID verification services, including those in the Fortune 500.
There, he found an ad which offered digital scans of identity documents on more than 170 million people in North America.
Krebs later found his mother's ID card and several friends' IDs on the Nexus service.
So why does this matter? In an age where cybersecurity threats are becoming nightmares for policymakers, everyday Americans, and our national defense, security can't be a second thought.
It also shows that the days of age verification might be dead on arrival until security improves, which might be a good thing for all those libertarian types out there.
Now, who gets prosecuted for negligence here? Who goes to jail or pays the fines? Those are questions we may need to address as we move forward.
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