If you thought past data leaks and thefts would have served as a wake-up call for companies to implement security measures, there's another case that shows it hasn't and this time it leaves nearly half of entire US population at risk.
Data theft is nothing new, but every now and then there's a case that goes well beyond normal, and that's exactly what happened with Equifax - a credit reporting - which has just revealed that the private information of 143 million Americans has been stolen. This accounts for 44% of the US population, which now have their names, birthdates, social security numbers, addresses and in some cases, driving license numbers and credit cards info, available for anyone willing to pay for it.
This case becomes particularly serious because we're not talking about hashed passwords or emails. This is precisely the information one would need to verify their identity when accessing an account remotely on numerous services, which means it's highly likely millions of people will be facing worrisome prospects for years to come, knowing that someone might takeover their accounts at any time, not to mention identity theft and so on. There's so many ways for this info to be abused that the mind boggles.
Don't forget to change your name, date of birth, home address and social security number regularly.
— Sarah Jamie Lewis (@SarahJamieLewis) September 7, 2017
... By "coincidence," some Equifax executives have dumped millions in stock just before the data breach came to public... lucky fellows aren't they? Let's hope that luck won't last much longer...
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