# Equifax hacked **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 7, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760 "2017-09-07T22:21:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/41 "2017-09-15T22:25:19Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > This also gives all of us a real reason to sue Equifax. We’ll need to pay the freeze/thaw fees forever since the criminals can use that info at any time in the future. That’s a good point. When you credit card info gets stolen, they issue a new one and the problem is over. When they steal your SSN, they have it forever since your SSN isn’t going anywhere. Same with birthdates, previous addresses, etc. This isn’t a problem that is going away before their year of “free” credit monitoring expires. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/42 "2017-09-16T00:12:38Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Companies should pressure the credit agencies to make freezes be temporarily thawed for free. As it is now, many people will need to pay $5-10 to unfreeze their account when applying for new credit… I learned when I froze my credit, the fee varies by state. In fact, I had to pay 2 of 4 agencies to institute a freeze. I’m sure I’ll have to pay those guys again to lift the freeze. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@Troy\_McClure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2017, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/43 "2017-09-19T02:00:10Z")
Yesterday I finally got through to the web page to sign up for the credit monitoring service. It said I’d get an email with a link to complete the registration. So today I did in fact get said email, but when I click the link it takes me straight back to the same page again. After entering my info a second time, I get another confirmation that I will get an email with a link to finish the registration. At this point I can’t tell whether it’s just because they are grossly incompetent, or whether it’s something browser/script related. There is a field to enter a cell phone number to get a text code of some sort, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to get a cell phone or sign up for Google Voice just for them, so I left it empty. Troy ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/44 "2017-09-22T12:33:12Z")
[Equifax support team sent victims of breach to fake site](https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2017/09/21/equifax-support-team-sent-victims-breach-phishing-site/688188001/#) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/45 "2017-09-22T14:46:52Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > [Equifax support team sent victims of breach to fake site](https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2017/09/21/equifax-support-team-sent-victims-breach-phishing-site/688188001/#) OTOH, customer support was much more effective and responsive on the phishing site. 😃 Does anyone else throw up a little in their mouths whenever they see an advertisement for Equifax consumer credit protection services? :smack: They’re ruining irony! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/46 "2017-09-26T14:18:39Z")
The [CEO of Equifax](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41403444) has announced his retirement. It’s good to see responsibility being held and taken at the top. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/47 "2017-09-27T04:31:58Z")
I sent a request for my Free Annual Credit Report from Equifax on August 23 (which was before the hack got publicly announced IIRC) and I still haven’t gotten it yet. Usually it takes about 3 weeks from the day I snail-mail the request until the day I get the report in the snail-mail. Ya think they’ve been really busy lately? ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/48 "2017-09-27T12:23:02Z")
Wouldn’t the appropriate fix be to make it more difficult to authorize credit? If there is essentially nothing I can do to keep my vital info private, and if everyone knows that the misuse of such information occurs, why oughtn’t the institutions who grant credit be liable for the resulting harm? Why place the onus on the innocent victim? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/49 "2017-09-27T12:54:44Z")
Anybody know if the CIO and/or CSO were fired as well? Seems much more their responsibility than the CEO. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/50 "2017-09-27T13:17:48Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Wouldn’t the appropriate fix be to make it more difficult to authorize credit? If there is essentially nothing I can do to keep my vital info private, and if everyone knows that the misuse of such information occurs, why oughtn’t the institutions who grant credit be liable for the resulting harm? Why place the onus on the innocent victim? Because the innocent victims haven’t banded together to hire rich & powerful lobbyists. :dubious: > [@Slash1972](#): > > Anybody know if the CIO and/or CSO were fired as well? Seems much more their responsibility than the CEO. Both chief information officer David Webb & chief security officer Susan Mauldin ‘resigned effective immediately’ almost two weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/51 "2017-09-27T13:37:39Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Because the innocent victims haven’t banded together to hire rich & powerful lobbyists. :dubious: > > Both chief information officer David Webb & chief security officer Susan Mauldin ‘resigned effective immediately’ almost two weeks ago. ok, good. I didn’t read that much of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/52 "2017-09-27T14:30:02Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Because the innocent victims haven’t banded together to hire rich & powerful lobbyists. :dubious: Yeah, that’s my assumption as well. Ain’t this country great?! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/53 "2017-09-27T21:23:57Z")
Froze access to my Social Security. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/54 "2017-10-12T18:28:43Z")
**News Flash:** Equifax hacked. No, I mean [again](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-equifax-breach/equifax-takes-down-web-page-after-report-of-new-hack-idUSKBN1CH2F3). :smack: > [@](#): > > The move came after an independent security analyst on Wednesday found part of Equifax’s website was under the control of attackers trying to trick visitors into installing fraudulent Adobe Flash updates that could infect computers with malware ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2017, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/55 "2017-10-14T09:52:43Z")
[Elizabeth Warren points out that the hack is a profit maker for Equifax.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWsnAmhUoHE) Consumers whose data was stolen via Equifax negligence will have to pay to minimize damage. The Equifax CEO admitted as much; just a few weeks before disclosing the hack he said “Fraud is a huge opportunity for us.” ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2017, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760/56 "2017-10-29T12:17:17Z")
In the olden days (e.g. 2016), the Equifax hack (which can be mitigated by placing 100 million American families into the witness protection program :smack: ) would be a front-page news story for weeks. These days we’re overwhelmed with bad news, and the Equifax story seems already forgotten. [Here’s a good summary of Equifax incompetence](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPjgRKW_Jmk). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/equifax-hacked/795760.md?page=2)