Equifax reports cybersecurity incident, may impact 143 million customers

[Wrightwood]

LOS ANGELES --
Equifax, a consumer credit reporting agency, has reported a cybersecurity incident that may affect approximately 143 million U.S. customers.

In a statement Thursday, the company said "criminals exploited a U.S. website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files. Based on the company's investigation, the unauthorized access occurred from mid-May through July 2017. The company has found no evidence of unauthorized activity on Equifax's core consumer or commercial credit reporting databases."

The information accessed includes names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver's license numbers. In addition, credit card numbers for approximately 209,000 U.S. consumers, and certain dispute documents with personal identifying information for approximately 182,000 U.S. consumers, were accessed.

The Atlanta-based Equifax says the unauthorized access was discovered on July 29th and they acted immediately to stop the intrusion.

"This is clearly a disappointing event for our company, and one that strikes at the heart of who we are and what we do. I apologize to consumers and our business customers for the concern and frustration this causes," Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard F. Smith said in a statement. "We pride ourselves on being a leader in managing and protecting data, and we are conducting a thorough review of our overall security operations. We also are focused on consumer protection and have developed a comprehensive portfolio of services to support all U.S. consumers, regardless of whether they were impacted by this incident."

Equifax has established a dedicated website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com, to help consumers determine if their information has been potentially impacted and to sign up for credit file monitoring and identity theft protection.

In addition to the website, Equifax will send direct mail notices to consumers whose credit card numbers or dispute documents with personal identifying information were impacted. Equifax also is in the process of contacting U.S. state and federal regulators and has sent written notifications to all U.S. state attorneys general, which includes Equifax contact information for regulator inquiries.

Founded in 1899, Equifax is the oldest of the three credit reporting agencies and gathers and maintains information on millions of credit holders worldwide.

http://abc7.com/equifax-reports-cybersecurity-incident-143m-possibly-affected/2388546/

[thehallmarks]

The recent Equifax data breach

It was recommended that if you were affected by the recent Equifax data breach you send a Security Freeze letter to all three credit agencies.

Here is the information I got doing my "due diligence"!

Hank

Credit Security Freeze letter

[I've included the recommended addresses of all three credit agencies!]

Date

1. Trans Union LLC

POB 2000

Chester, PA 19022

2. Experian Security Freeze

POB 9554

Allen, TX 75013

3. Equifax Security Freeze

POB 105788

Atlanta, Ga 30348

Dear _______, etc.

I would like to put a security freeze on my credit file. My name is ______________.

My social security number is ___-__-____ and my date of birth is ______________.

I am requesting this freeze as a result of the recent Equifax data breach.

My current address is:________________________________________________.
AS proof of my residence, I am enclosing the following document:

1. A copy of my homeowners insurance policy on my residence at _____________.

I am a resident of California, age 65 years or older. [If you are age 65 or older and a residence of California! If another state check on their regulations!]

I will pay the fee of $5.00 for placing the credit security freeze whenever I receive notification the payment is due. [If this applies include: However, it is my understanding that if you are 65 years or older and a resident of California there is no charge.]

Thanking you in advance for your cooperation in this matter, I remain

[Wrightwood]

Equifax, Bowing to Public Pressure, Drops Credit-Freeze Fees for 30 Days

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/12/your-money/equifax-fee-waiver.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

[Wrightwood]

Equifax: 2.5 million more Americans possibly affected by data breach

NEW YORK --
Credit report company Equifax said Monday that 2.5 million more Americans may have been affected by the massive security breach of its systems, bringing the total to 145.5 million people.

Equifax said the company it hired to investigate the breach, Mandiant, has concluded its investigation and plans to release the results "promptly."

The company also said it would update its own notification for people who want to check if they were among those affected by Oct. 8.

The information stolen included names, Social Security numbers, birth dates and addresses, the kind of information that could put people at risk for identity theft.

While Equifax previously said up to 100,000 Canadian citizens may have been affected, it said Monday that the completed review did not bear that out and it determined that the information of about 8,000 Canadian consumers was involved.

The update comes as Equifax's former CEO, Richard Smith, who announced his retirement last month, will testify in front of Congress starting Tuesday. He's expected to face bipartisan anger from politicians who have expressed outrage that a company tasked with securing vast amounts of personal data was unable to keep its security software up to date.

In prepared testimony, he apologized and said human error and technology failures allowed the data breach.

Equifax also faces several state and federal inquiries and class-action lawsuits.

http://abc7.com/finance/equifax-25-million-more-us-customers-potentially-affected-by-data-breach/2480366/