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Major Equifax breach may have exposed 143 million people

ATLANTA — Atlanta-based credit reporting and technology company Equifax said Thursday a “cyber security incident” may have exposed the personal information of 143 million U.S. consumers.

The data that might have been accessed includes names, Social Security numbers, birth dates and addresses. The company also said driver’s license numbers might also have been exposed. The unauthorized access also compromised some personal information for an undisclosed number of residents of the United Kingdom and Canada, Equifax said.

"This is absolutely the worst data breach in the history of the modern era," Channel 2 Consumer Advisor Clark Howard said.

Unauthorized access to the information occurred from mid-May to July, the company said, and was discovered by the company on July 29. Equifax engaged a outside cybersecurity firm to investigate, the company said.

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“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,” Equifax Chairman and CEO Richard F. Smith said in a news release. “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.”

The company has set up a website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com, for additional information and to access credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.

The FBI is now investigating the breach.

Watch Channel 2 Action News and stay with WSBTV.com as this story develops.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this story

Cox Media Group

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