Equifax credit bureau says hackers stole SSNs, more, on 143 million consumers

Credit bureau Equifax announced late Thursday that computer criminals stole data on 143 million consumers earlier this year. The hackers took Social Security numbers and other data.

Consumers should immediately check to see if they are impacted at a special website set up for the incident: www.equifaxsecurity2017.com

Hackers entered through a vulnerable web application, the firm said.

“The information accessed primarily 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, Equifax said in its statement.

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,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard F. Smith. “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.”