What happened?
On September 7, 2017, Equifax announced that a data breach had occurred and that the personal information of approximately 145.9 million Americans had been exposed. The breach occurred between May and July of 2017 and was caused by a vulnerability in Equifax's online dispute portal.
What information was exposed?
The following information was exposed in the breach:
* Names
* Social Security numbers
* Birth dates
* Addresses
* Phone numbers
* Email addresses
* Driver's license numbers
* Credit card numbers
* Bank account numbers
Who was affected?
The breach affected approximately 145.9 million Americans, or about half of the adult population of the United States.
What Equifax is doing about the breach
Equifax has taken the following steps in response to the breach:
* Set up a dedicated website to help consumers check if they were affected by the breach
* Offered free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for one year to all consumers affected by the breach
* Invested in cybersecurity measures to prevent future breaches
* Provided impacted customers with identity protection services for one year
What you can do to protect yourself
There are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from the Equifax data breach:
* Check your credit report for any suspicious activity
* Set up a credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion)
* Be aware of phishing scams and do not click on any links or open any attachments that you do not recognize
* Use strong passwords and don't reuse the same password for multiple accounts
The Equifax data breach is a serious reminder of the importance of cybersecurity. By taking the steps outlined above, you can help to protect yourself from this and other data breaches.
