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SAN FRANCISCO – Credit monitoring company Equifax has been hit by a high-tech heist that exposed the Social Security numbers and other sensitive information about 143 million Americans. Now the unwitting victims have to worry about the threat of having their identities stolen.
The Atlanta-based company, one of three major U.S. credit bureaus, said Thursday that "criminals" exploited a U.S. website application to access files between mid-May and July of this year.
The theft obtained consumers' names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some cases, driver's license numbers. The purloined data can be enough for crooks to hijack the identities of people whose credentials were stolen through no fault of their own, potentially wreaking havoc on their lives. More on this...
"On a scale of one to 10, this is a 10 in terms of potential identity theft," said Gartner security analyst Avivah Litan. "Credit bureaus keep so much data about us that affects almost everything we do."
Lenders rely on the information collected by the credit bureaus to help them decide whether to approve financing for homes, cars and credit cards. Credit checks are even sometimes done by employers when deciding whom to hire for a job.
Equifax discovered the hack July 29, but waited until Thursday to warn consumers. The Atlanta-based company declined to comment on that delay or anything else beyond its published statement. It's not unusual for U.S. authorities to ask a company hit in a major hack to delay public notice so that investigators can pursue the perpetrators.
The company established a website, https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/ , where people can check to see if their personal information may have been stolen. Consumers can also call 866-447-7559 for more information. Experian is also offering free credit monitoring to all U.S. consumers for a year.
I now firmly see the day arriving sooner than later of having your ID number tattooed on us, or a non-compromisable electronic chip implanted in us to confirm our identity. Just like they do with pets. But an implanted chip is just another way to track everything you do.
SS numbers will come off Medicare cards next year, I've been asking for that for years. Finally they are doing it.
Next up a bar code tattoo or the like and a whole new ID number to memorize.
I don't understand why the government has ignored hacking for so many years. When are they going to mandate SSN not be used by financial institutions to identify people.
I don't understand why the government has ignored hacking for so many years. When are they going to mandate SSN not be used by financial institutions to identify people.
I still have my original SSN card. It is printed right on it: not to be used for identification.
I don't understand why the government has ignored hacking for so many years. When are they going to mandate SSN not be used by financial institutions to identify people.
Because the business sector thinks it's too expensive to have to comply with regulations, or be held responsible for the outcomes. So, no protections. They get the money and the bottom line and are never held responsible. tends to make people a little slack
It's time for the government to pass laws requiring strict protection of personal data. Data accesses are typically logged at several points along the network and at a system level. To not have multiple sets of eyes watching where their data is going is a travesty. Companies that fail to protect data should be forced out of business.
It's time for the government to pass laws requiring strict protection of personal data.
Already done, but don't forget, those laws were to protect businesses from fraud, and to protect the government from accusation by the people.
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Data accesses are typically logged at several points along the network and at a system level. To not have multiple sets of eyes watching where their data is going is a travesty. Companies that fail to protect data should be forced out of business.
I heard on CNBC this morning that Equifax won't (or can't) even tell an individual if their data has been compromised. The absolute gall of these outfits. Jerking folks around over cooked-up FICO Scores....and then losing contain over 143 million pieces sensitive data.
They should shut all 3 of these quacky bureaus down, if that's the best they can do.
Whats worse is that this same company will be the one giving you a bad credit score if your number was stolen! Sounds fair to me screw up and have your system hacked and yet we have to pay the price for it. The only thing they're doing is giving you 1 years free identity theft protection once you've enrolled. Sorry but it's their screw up they should give it to you for life.
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Sounds fair to me screw up and have your system hacked and yet we have to pay the price for it. The only thing they're doing is giving you 1 years free identity theft protection once you've enrolled. Sorry but it's their screw up they should give it to you for life.
