The Equifax Hack Overview

Equifax, one of the three major consumer credit reporting agencies, said on Thursday that hackers had gained access to company data that potentially compromised sensitive information for 143 million American consumers, including Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers. The attack on the company represents one of the largest risks to personally Identifiable information (PII) in recent years, and is the third major cybersecurity threat for the agency since 2015.

Equifax, based in Atlanta, is a particularly tempting target for hackers. If identity thieves wanted to hit one place to grab all the data needed to do the most damage, they would go straight to one of the three major credit reporting agencies. Criminals gained access to certain files in the company’s system from mid-May to July by exploiting a weak point in website software, according to an investigation by Equifax and security consultants. The company said that it discovered the intrusion on July 29 and has since found no evidence of unauthorized activity on its main consumer or commercial credit reporting databases.

How to protect YOurself

To protect yourself in the wake of the Equifax data breach, presume the worst. Consumers can check Equifax's site EquifaxSecurity2017.com to see if they have been affected. (Be warned: Experts say the system is confusing, and there are reasons to be cautious about signing up for credit monitoring there.)

Equifax Data Breach SPURS LAWSUITS

Sept 8- At least two proposed federal class-action lawsuits have been filed against Equifax Inc after the credit reporting company disclosed a hacking that may have compromised personal information for 143 million American consumers.

Failure to patch two-month-old bug led to massive Equifax breach

The Equifax breach that exposed sensitive data for as many as 143 million US consumers was accomplished by exploiting a Web application vulnerability that had been patched more than two months earlier, officials with the credit reporting service said Thursday.