The Equifax Breach Exposed More Information Than Previously Reported

Thought the Equifax data breach story was over? Think again. Additional information, including tax IDs and details on individual driver’s licenses may have been accessed in the hack according to documents provided to the Senate Banking Committee per CNN.

In the original announcement, Equifax reported that some driver’s license numbers were compromised. However, they’re now stating that the license state and issue date might have been stolen as well. This new information makes us wonder how much information was truly obtained in the 2017 cyberattack.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren on Friday sent a letter to CEO Paulino do Rego Barros Jr. stating, “As your company continues to issue incomplete, confusing and contradictory statements and hide information from Congress and the public, it is clear that five months after the breach was publicly announced, Equifax has yet to answer this simple question in full: what was the precise extent of the breach?”

The unauthorized access occurred from May through July 2017. The hackers exploited a website application vulnerability to gain access to the files, according to the company.

“The more information scammers have about you, the easier it is for them to impersonate you,” said Lauren Saunders, associate director at the National Consumer Law Center. “And the easier it is for them to get by the protocols that banks and others use to make sure they are dealing with the right individual.”

Consumers wondering if they were affected by the breach can check here.

We’ll continue to keep a close eye on this story as it continues to unravel. Be sure to check out our blog regularly for the latest information on identity theft news and information protection best practices.

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