#Equifax breach update
#Equifax breach Patch
#Equifax breach license

#Equifax breach Patch

It had received US-CERT’s alert and then sent it out internally to more than 400 employees, directing those responsible for Apache to patch the vulnerability within 48 hours. The ACIS system needed the patched version of the Apache software, and Equifax’s security team was aware. “As of 2016, about 25 million consumers interact with ACIS every year, with about 6.6 million of those consumers disputing transactions in their credit reports.”

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) opened an investigation into Equifax and found that the system the credit reporting agency was using, called ACIS, was originally built in the 1980s and ran old systems that were no longer supported.īecause of this, Equifax itself considered ACIS “to be legacy infrastructure and its own documents describe the system as ‘archaic’ and using ‘antiquated technology,’” according to a complaint filed by the FTC.

#Equifax breach update

Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) had notified Equifax of the vulnerability to its systems in March 2017 and encouraged the agency to update its software to a new version that had been released-for free-for all Apache software users. Investigators later determined that the breach was preventable because hackers infiltrated Equifax through a vulnerability that had a patch available months earlier from the Apache Software Foundation. Then New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman directed his staff to contact Equifax to have the disclaimer removed, which Equifax did, and investigate how the breach had occurred. “By consenting to submit Your Claims to arbitration, You will be forfeiting Your right to bring or participate in any class action (whether as a named plaintiff or a class member) or to share in any class action awards, including class claim where a class has not yet been certified, even if the facts and circumstances upon which the Claims are based already occurred or existed,” the disclaimer said. But, a disclaimer on the initial version of the website could have prevented individuals from filing suits against the consumer reporting agency for the breach. Equifax set up a website so consumers could determine if any of their data had been compromised in the breach and allow them to sign up for credit monitoring and identity theft protection. The company has found no evidence of unauthorized activity on Equifax’s core consumer or commercial credit reporting databases.”įollowing the breach, Equifax faced intense scrutiny from consumers, regulators, and lawmakers. “Based on the company’s investigation, the unauthorized access occurred from mid-May through July 2017. website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files,” according to a statement Equifax released after disclosing the breach.

#Equifax breach license

The hackers made off with a variety of personal data, including Social Security and driver’s license numbers, birth dates, names, and credit card information. Equifax also said British and Canadian residents had been impacted by the breach. The consumer credit reporting agency confirmed that individuals had obtained access to its systems and compromised data on roughly 147 million Americans. In 2017, hackers struck the data equivalent of a gold mine: Equifax.

It takes time to identify the target, research and reconnaissance to determine the best method of infiltration, and then the ability to carry out the attack, obtain the data, and evade arrest and prosecution. The same is true for pulling off a major data breach. It takes time, resources, and-typically-some expertise in geography, geology, chemistry, and engineering to be successful.Īnd the likelihood of discovering gold and developing that find into a mine is extremely low-less than 0.1 percent, with just 10 percent of global gold deposits sufficient to justify further development, according to the World Gold Council.īut for those who put in the work, the profits can be enormous-allowing miners to enter a market where gold is valued at $1,499.50 per ounce, as of press time in September 2019. Contrary to popular belief and Hollywood depictions, gold mining is not for the faint of heart.