Call your trusted financial institutions to check if you are affected by this breach. / Photo by CafeCredit, Flickr, Creative Commons
09.10.2017
A massive data leak that occurred earlier this week might not be the largest in terms of the number of people affected, but it could be more damaging, as it will put half of the US population at risk of fraud for an indefinite period, according to experts.
The Equifax server breach, asĀ finally acknowledged earlier this week byĀ the companyĀ ā a US Credit BureauĀ ā could see half ofĀ the US atĀ risk ofĀ fraud forĀ an indefinite amount ofĀ time, according toĀ Dan Goodin, security editor forĀ Ars Technica.
While the sheer number ofĀ people affected inĀ the breach are not asĀ massive asĀ several earlier hacks, the Equifax hack contains extremely sensitive personal data.
According toĀ Goodin, while earlier wide-ranging attacks onĀ Yahoo exposed login details forĀ some 1 billion users, and an additional breach atĀ AdultFriendFinderĀ ā a social network devoted toĀ sexual liaisonsĀ ā exposed data forĀ some 412 million users, both have been seen asĀ inconvenient butĀ not dangerous as, inĀ most cases, the risk could be eliminated byĀ changing a password. In worst-case situations, users could contact their bank and receive a new credit card.
In the case ofĀ the Equifax data breach, however, important personal legal data has been leakedĀ ā the kind ofĀ data that cannot be changed easily.
That data includes full names, Social Security numbers, birth dates and driver license numbers, the kind ofĀ personal information that can easily be used toĀ open accounts online that could leave persons withĀ staggering financial responsibilities that they never agreed to, and, inĀ many cases, did not learn aboutĀ until the damage was done.
Criminals and fraudsters will surely find ways toĀ illegally profit using this information, suggests Goodin, butĀ hostile foreign governments could use this data toĀ inflict harm onĀ the United States asĀ well.
Gooding points outĀ that while 143 million people is a relatively small number, all ofĀ the compromised names are US citizens; a population known toĀ be relatively wealthy, extremely vulnerable and now highly atĀ risk.
āWhen children and people withoutĀ credit histories are removed, the proportion becomes even bigger. That means well more thanĀ half ofĀ all US residents who rely the most onĀ bank loans and credit cards are now atĀ a significantly higher risk ofĀ fraud and will remain so forĀ years toĀ come,ā Goodin stated.
According toĀ Ars Technica, Equifax displayed sloppy and reckless security procedures onĀ many occasions, starting withĀ having portions ofĀ the admin login script embedded intoĀ the websiteās codeĀ ā maybe not enough toĀ gain access toĀ the website, butĀ definitely making access way easier.
Following the breach, Equifax did not announce it forĀ five weeks, while some ofĀ the companyās executives quickly sold asĀ much ofĀ their stock asĀ they could, withoutĀ raising too many eyebrows onĀ Wall Street.
While sloppy security is sadly, not big news, the fact that real-world credentials have been leaked en masse certainly is.
Watch your back, your bank, and your bottom line, folks, data hacking ofĀ sensitive personal information has made a quantum leap.
Originally published by The Pontiac Tribune under a Creative Commons license.