Hackers Steal 143m People’s Private Data from Equifax

A possibly biggest data hack within USA targeted on Equifax Inc., the company which provides credit scores of consumers, resulted in hackers accessing the personal details belonging to huge 143m American buyers during mid-May to July. Following the incident shares of the company dropped almost 19% during after-market sales since people investing into the company reacted to probable outcomes resulting from leakage of sensitive information belonging to almost 50% of population of the United States.

Equifax stated that cyber crooks got away with details such as Social Security Numbers (SSN) and names of the consumers. They also accessed some 209,000 people's payment card numbers and 182,000 people's documents of certain kind. The firm has created one website which will assist people in determining whether they're also ones whose details were hijacked. For that they need to type in their last name along with their SSN's last 6 numbers.

Equifax has created a program which will enable individuals to know whether the hack affected them. The program involves a process covering many steps which requires being executed over a week or so. Cnet.com posted this dated September 7, 2017.

The company stated that it had unearthed no clue of illegitimate operation occurring on the main databases of commercial else consumer scores of credit status.

Consumer credit specialist John Ulzheimer said that Equifax was providing buyers the option for stopping their credit statements from Equifax. Ulzheimer frequently carries out special witness work in favor of credit unions and banks as well as was employed at Equifax during 1990s. Cyber thugs by stealing data from Equifax can utilize the same for setting up A/Cs with creditors which are TransUnion or Experian reliant.

According to Ulzheimer, Equifax providing consumers free protection for a year isn't enough to satiate consumers' real requirement, since hackers can buy and sell their information for many years ahead.

Among the special services Equifax is offering to all U.S consumers post the security breach are non-chargeable ID theft protection as well as insurance; safeguard of credit monitoring; and certain facility of Internet scanning to find the stolen social security numbers.

» SPAMfighter News - 9/15/2017