The revelation of a massive data breach at credit giant Equifax is a a textbook example of poor protection and even worse public relations, but a leading cybersecurity expert says it leaves tens of millions of people vulnerable to fraud and identity theft for the rest of their lives.
Equifax is one of the three major institutions by which consumers check their credit scores and have their credit reviewed by third parties. In recent days, it admitted a months-long data breach may have compromised as many as 143 million people. The breach included hugely sensitive information, including consumers’ Social Security numbers.
Cyber Scout Founder and CEO Adam Levin told WND and Radio America these breaches usually happen the same way.
“Apparently there was a vulnerability in software that they were using. They created a gap in their web security. As a result, the bad guys got in, crawled around for
