# Equifax data hack **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 8, 2017, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814 "2017-09-08T13:48:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/1 "2017-09-08T13:48:39Z")
Is it just me or does it seem like we don’t worry about this sort of crap enough: > **[Equifax Says Cyberattack May Have Affected 143 Million in the U.S. (Published...](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/business/equifax-cyberattack.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news)** > > Criminals gained access to certain files in the company’s system from mid-May to July, according to an investigation by Equifax. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/2 "2017-09-08T14:52:57Z")
Anyone, if you didn’t think this was inevitable, please raise your hand. Good, no hands up. This shit was completely predictable. Each of these agencies is the Mother Lode Fort Knox of Personal Identifying Information (PII). There is so much shit concentrated there that any identity thief worth his attack scripts would have to try to take it. You could make an extremely boring heist movie about this shit. And the vault doors opened… and stayed open for more than two months :eek:… for a stupid [web vulnerability](https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-protect-yourself-from-that-massive-equifax-breach/). :smack: F’ing amateurs. > [@Wired](#): > > The company says that hackers accessed data between mid-May and July through a vulnerability in a web application. ---
**Author:** ![MedellinMike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@MedellinMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MedellinMike)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/3 "2017-09-08T16:55:21Z")
Well if everyone were to take the proper security precautions this wouldn’t be a problem. Every few months you should be changing your name, date of birth, gender, and social security number. ---
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/4 "2017-09-08T17:52:58Z")
Right! Okay, from now until I change it, my name is Bob, I’m male, born on January 1st, 1949 and my ssn is 123-54-9876. 😃 Seriously, yes. I figured that by now so many companies have been hacked that every single person in the country has had their PII seized and sold and it’s just a matter of time before we are all boned. So I’m not surprised by this news. Sad and cynical, but not surprised. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/5 "2017-09-08T17:58:43Z")
Did you see where three Equifax executives sold stock just before the data breech was announced? The smell coming from that company is overwhelming. ---
**Author:** ![Dobbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Dobbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dobbs)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/6 "2017-09-08T18:01:35Z")
> [@JcWoman](#): > > …I figured that by now so many companies have been hacked that every single person in the country has had their PII seized and sold and it’s just a matter of time before we are all boned… It looks like they got my info on this hack, for the 3rd time. I was also compromised by the Office of Personnel Management hack, and some store gave away my credit card number, so Discover gave me a new account number. Maybe we all need to go into Witness Protection. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/7 "2017-09-08T18:17:16Z")
Equifax is offering a free year of credit protection and monitoring services to people affected. If you accept it, you waive your right to sue or take part in a class action lawsuit against Equifax. Obviously that last part isn’t as widely advertised. Granted most people aren’t going to take action anyway but if you already have monitoring as part of one of the 19,000 other recent data breeches or something like Lifelock, it’s good to at least be aware of your options. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/8 "2017-09-08T18:49:16Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Did you see where three Equifax executives sold stock just before the data breech was announced? The smell coming from that company is overwhelming. It wasn’t just before it was announced; it is worse than that. It was just after it was discovered, which was many weeks before it was announced. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/9 "2017-09-08T19:29:52Z")
Changing all my passwords isn’t going to help with this one, is it? ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/10 "2017-09-08T19:42:48Z")
If you go to Equifax’s website you can check to see if your information was compromised. If so, they offer you free enrollment in their credit monitoring service. Sadly, Mrs. MeanJoe and I both had data compromised so we’ll have to worry if anyone uses that information to try and open accounts in our name now. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/11 "2017-09-08T20:10:49Z")
Their website had a crappy rollout. Yesterday it told me I wasn’t affected. Today it told me I was. Brian Krebs piles on here: [Equifax Breach Response Turns Dumpster Fire – Krebs on Security](https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/09/equifax-breach-response-turns-dumpster-fire/) I guess I’ll sign up for the credit monitoring. I think the credit monitoring I got after the last compromise of my information has expired. My full ID information has been circulating on the dark web for years. I’ve been thinking of doing a credit freeze instead. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/12 "2017-09-08T20:22:20Z")
Yeah, about that credit monitoring. Please note that they changed the ULA to remove your right to sue or be part of a class action lawsuit against them if you sign up for it. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/13 "2017-09-09T14:42:53Z")
> [@2Bits](#): > > Is it just me or does it seem like we don’t worry about this sort of crap enough: Nonsense. They take security very seriously. They made sure their [Chief Security Officer](http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2017/09/equifax-you-had-one-job.html#more) had not one, but **two** degrees in music composition. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/14 "2017-09-09T16:09:16Z")
Sorry, Equifax, but IMHO your company sucks. Why would I want to do any further business with you? I’m part of the class action suit, I hope the settlement hurts them. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/15 "2017-09-09T16:16:46Z")
> [@JcWoman](#): > > Right! Okay, from now until I change it, my name is Bob, I’m male, born on January 1st, 1949 and my ssn is 123-54-9876. 😃 That’s the social security number of my luggage! ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/16 "2017-09-09T16:42:46Z")
The best protection is to put a freeze on your credit at all three credit agencies. It is easiest to do it by phone because the websites require you to answer more difficult questions than when you do it by phone. Even if someone has your social security number and other confidential info, they should not be able to open a new credit card in your name with a freeze in effect. BTW, credit freezes are not possible if you’re from Canada. There it seems the best option is creating an alert which is weaker protection. > **[What To Know About Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts)** > > Credit freezes and fraud alerts can protect you from identity theft or prevent further misuse of your personal information if it was stolen. > [@](#): > > How do I place a freeze on my credit reports? > > Contact each of the nationwide credit reporting companies: > > ``` > Equifax — 1-800-349-9960 > Experian — 1‑888‑397‑3742 > TransUnion — 1-888-909-8872 > > ``` > > You’ll need to supply your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number and other personal information. Fees vary based on where you live, but commonly range from $5 to $10. > > After receiving your freeze request, each credit reporting company will send you a confirmation letter containing a unique PIN (personal identification number) or password. Keep the PIN or password in a safe place. You will need it if you choose to lift the freeze. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/17 "2017-09-09T17:20:37Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Sorry, Equifax, but IMHO your company sucks. Why would I want to do any further business with you? I’m part of the class action suit, I hope the settlement hurts them. Guess what? You don’t get to choose to do business with them or not. The banks and credit card companies and everyone else who dumps your data with them get to choose. You and I are screwed. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/18 "2017-09-09T17:22:36Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Their website had a crappy rollout. Yesterday it told me I wasn’t affected. Today it told me I was. Brian Krebs piles on here: [Equifax Breach Response Turns Dumpster Fire – Krebs on Security](https://krebsonsecurity.com/2017/09/equifax-breach-response-turns-dumpster-fire/) > > I guess I’ll sign up for the credit monitoring. I think the credit monitoring I got after the last compromise of my information has expired. My full ID information has been circulating on the dark web for years. I’ve been thinking of doing a credit freeze instead. The Times today reports that when a reporter entered the name of “Trump” and some random numbers as an SSN he got exactly the same results as when he entered his own data. So don’t trust their website. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/19 "2017-09-09T17:24:53Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Guess what? You don’t get to choose to do business with them or not. The banks and credit card companies and everyone else who dumps your data with them get to choose. You and I are screwed. I meant as far as accepting their offer of free credit checks. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2017, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814/20 "2017-09-09T18:07:52Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > The best protection is to put a freeze on your credit at all three credit agencies… Yes, this is a very good idea. I just did it. Experian charged me $10, Transunion and Equifax were free. Equifax were the only one who would not let me specify my own password, so of course I have to make a note of it somewhere and store it on my computer. Nice security plan, Equifax. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-data-hack/795814.md?page=2)