States probing massive data breach of Social Security numbers

States probing massive data breach of Social Security numbers: In what could be one of the biggest data breaches in history, the federal government and authorities in several states are investigating the criminal sale of Social Security numbers, bank account data and other personal information for up to 200 million U.S. citizens.

The investigations stem from the case of Hieu Minh Ngo, a Vietnamese man who pleaded guilty last month in New Hampshire federal court to selling the data to more than 1,300 of his customers, according to a court transcript.

The breach is the latest demonstration of the growing vulnerability of personal information in the digital age, and is particularly troubling because of the involvement of Social Security numbers.