[20170929]IN10792_Equifax数据泄露：国会概况和议题.pdf

The Equifax Data Breach: An Overview and Issues for Congress nae redacted Specialist in Financial Economics September 29, 2017 According to Equifax, cybercriminals exploited a vulnerability in one of its online applications between mid-May and July 2017, potentially revealing information for 143 million U.S. consumers. Equifax stated that “the information accessed primarily includes names, Social Security numbers, birth date, addresses, and, in some cases, drivers 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.” Much of the information that Equifax listed is difficult or impossible to change, potentially exposing affected individuals to significant risk of identity theft in the future. Credit Reporting Agencies Equifax is a credit reporting agency (CRA). CRAs collect information to develop credit reports about individuals. A credit report typically includes information related to a consumers identity (such as name, address, and Social Security number), existing or recent credit transactions (including credit card a