Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Friday September 08 2017, @01:24AM   Printer-friendly
from the Quis-custodiet-ipsos-custodes? dept.

We had three Soylentils send in notice of a major breach at Equifax. The company has a web site specifically for this breach: https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/.

Equifax Data Breach Could Affect 143 Million Americans

Equifax, one of the big three US consumer credit reporting agencies, says that criminals exploited a web application vulnerability to gain access to "certain files":

Equifax Inc. today announced a cybersecurity incident potentially impacting approximately 143 million U.S. consumers. Criminals exploited a U.S. website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files. Based on the company's investigation, the unauthorized access occurred from mid-May through July 2017. The company has found no evidence of unauthorized activity on Equifax's core consumer or commercial credit reporting databases.

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. As part of its investigation of this application vulnerability, Equifax also identified unauthorized access to limited personal information for certain UK and Canadian residents. Equifax will work with UK and Canadian regulators to determine appropriate next steps. The company has found no evidence that personal information of consumers in any other country has been impacted.

Is there a silver lining to this event?

Also at NYT, Ars Technica, and CNN.

Huge Cyber Theft from Equifax!

"Cyber security expert Morgan Wright weighs in on the Equifax Inc hack, which may have exposed the personal details of potentially more than 143 million people." http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2017/09/07/equifax-143m-us-consumers-affected-by-criminal-cyber-security-breach.html

Equifax Hacked - Data Breach of *Basically Everyone's* PII

According to ARS, Consumerist, and others:

Equifax announced today that it discovered “unauthorized access” to their systems — i.e. a data breach — on July 29. 143 million records, basically *everyone* in their database.

That query must have taken a long time to run.

Whoever got into their systems had access from mid-May through the end of July, so about two-and-a-half months.

Equifax says it has “no evidence of unauthorized activity on Equifax’s core consumer or commercial credit reporting databases,” but plenty of Equifax systems were accessed, and data purloined. The company adds the standard adage about reporting the incident to law enforcement and working with both independent forensic investigators as well as the relevant authorities to sort out who’s responsible.

What was stolen?

This one is bad. The illicitly accessed data includes:

  • Names
  • Dates of birth
  • Addresses
  • Social Security numbers
  • Driver’s license numbers

That is, of course, basically the identity theft jackpot. Every account that needs verification that you’re you asks for that exact set of data, so now anyone can be you.

So, all of your PII are belongs to us.


Original Submission #1Original Submission #2Original Submission #3

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @07:45PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @07:45PM (#565280)

    Months and $$$ later, yeah, you may receive justice. Depends if you can afford to front the $$$ and spend months fighting. Seems unlikely to me that a lawyer would take such a case purely on contingency.

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by edIII on Friday September 08 2017, @09:23PM (2 children)

    by edIII (791) on Friday September 08 2017, @09:23PM (#565329)

    Then you have no imagination, and are largely ignorant of the processes involved.

    Sue them in small claims court. The top limit is $5k, but it will only cost you $75 max to initiate the lawsuit. By law, Equifax must appear and send an executive down with the lawyer. This is why when a large corporation fucks up they will settle on the $5k, if they are smart. That's much less than the cost of sending a lawyer and executive to a small claims court in California. If they don't appear it's also very likely I receive a default judgement against them, as my arguments are not about pain and suffering using facts they themselves put out in public.

    If/When I win the case, it sets precedence. Then I speak with the lawyer and inform him that the $5k will be used to put up a how-to website describing how everyone else can sue them in small claims court too. Death by 10,000 cuts to follow. Unless I get $100k, and for that, I would be willing to agree to no class actions or websites created. Either way, I fucked them out of thousands just by filing the damn suit. Even funnier is just to sue for the costs of the suit plus $1 for principles. I know the plane costs and paying the lawyer and executive far exceed whatever I could get, so they get fucked.

    Often companies like to not pay. Lawyers have told my family, "Good luck collecting". Bwahahahahhahahahhha!! You show up with a sheriff at their headquarters and start taking chairs, desks, computers, etc. It's all legal, and I can do it until the sale of their shit can get rid of my judgment. I've been there looking at the lawyers face and his response was, "I will have the check by tomorrow".

    Yes, there are lawyers that would eat that up on contingency in a second. Remember, if he wins, there are 143 million (minus 1) other prospects for doing the exact same thing. Plus the possibilities of class actions. I've never been in an agreement with Equifax, so they don't get arbitration.

    --
    Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @11:05AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @11:05AM (#565585)

      It only sets a precedent if the case is published.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @10:36PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 09 2017, @10:36PM (#565784)

      Idea: ask the court to grant an injunction against Equifax keeping records about the plaintiff. Unintended consequences may ensue. :-)