US insurance provider AssuranceAmerica has confirmed a data breach affecting the personal information and driver's license numbers of 6.9 million people, making it the largest known exposure of Americans' driver's license data this year. The stolen details matter because a driver's license number can be exploited for fraud and impersonation, and the incident adds to a growing run of breaches involving government-issued identity documents. AssuranceAmerica, founded in 1998, provides car and rental insurance across more than a dozen US states and holds large volumes of data on customers and drivers.

The company said it discovered hackers in its systems on 17 March and concluded its investigation on 15 June, finding that the intruders had taken customers' names, contact details, driver's license numbers, and information about auto insurance policies, vehicles and claims. AssuranceAmerica did not specify the cause but said the hackers "targeted one of the Company's employees" before it disabled the compromised credentials; its CEO and founder did not respond to TechCrunch's questions about any ransom. Filings with the Indiana and Maine attorneys general list 6.99 million affected people, with notification letters due to be sent on 10 July, and the breach follows recent incidents including a Texas government hack that exposed at least 3 million driver's licenses and passport numbers.