Key takeaways
- •The company said the attackers exploited a weakness in a website application and had access to files between mid-May and July.
- •The exposed information includes names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and addresses.
- •Social Security numbers and birth dates are the core pieces of information used to open credit accounts.
- •The company set up a website, equifaxsecurity2017.com, where people can check whether they were affected by entering their last name and the last six digits of their Social Security number.
The short answer
ATLANTA, Sept. 7 - Equifax, one of the three major credit reporting agencies in the United States, said Thursday that hackers got into its systems and may have gained access to the personal information of about 143 million Americans, nearly half of the country. The company said the attackers exploited a weakness in a website application and had access to files between mid-May and July. Equifax said it discovered the intrusion on July 29.
ATLANTA, Sept. 7 - Equifax, one of the three major credit reporting agencies in the United States, said Thursday that hackers got into its systems and may have gained access to the personal information of about 143 million Americans, nearly half of the country.
The company said the attackers exploited a weakness in a website application and had access to files between mid-May and July. Equifax said it discovered the intrusion on July 29. It did not explain why it waited until now to tell the public.
The exposed information includes names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and addresses. In some cases, driver's license numbers were also taken. Credit card numbers for about 209,000 people were accessed, along with dispute documents with personal details for about 182,000 people.
Why this is a big deal: Social Security numbers and birth dates are the core pieces of information used to open credit accounts. Unlike a credit card number, they cannot easily be changed. Security experts say that anyone whose data was taken could face a risk of identity theft for years.
The company set up a website, equifaxsecurity2017.com, where people can check whether they were affected by entering their last name and the last six digits of their Social Security number. It is also offering credit monitoring through its TrustedID Premier service.
Consumer advocates suggested that people place a fraud alert or a credit freeze with each of the three credit bureaus. A freeze stops new accounts from being opened in your name and can cost a fee in many states.
Bloomberg reported that three Equifax executives, including Chief Financial Officer John Gamble, sold shares worth about $1.8 million in early August, days after the breach was found. The company said those executives did not know about the intrusion when they traded.
The FBI is investigating, and Equifax said it is cooperating. The breach is among the largest ever reported in the United States.
Sources
- 01Massive Equifax data breach could affect half of U.S. population, NBC Newsnbcnews.com
- 022017 Equifax data breach, Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Corrections
No corrections have been made to this article.
About the reporter
Technology Reporter, Trestlewire
My first published story, in the spring of 2004, was about a database company whose new release had been announced three separate times. I knew it had been announced three times because I had signed off on two of the announcements. I spent seven years as a product manager in enterprise software before I switched sides, and the habit that came with me is a single question: does this ship, or is it a demo.
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