Equifax first learned of the breach in late July, but announced the issue affecting as many as 143 million people on Thursday evening.
In revealing this 21st century catastrophe, the credit reporting service set up a website so users could quickly assess if their information had been made vulnerable.
Users, however, were asked to enter the kind of information they’re often warned not to reveal online, in this case a combination of their last name and the last six digits of their Social Security number.
The request was met with skepticism, as many already shaken consumers felt unsafe giving up crucial identity data to a company that just admitted being penetrated.
A spokeswoman for Equifax said the men “had no knowledge that an intrusion had occurred at the time.” After news of the hack broke, the company’s shares fell 13 percent and “Equifax” became the number one trending topic on Twitter.
- In wake of Equifax breach, what to do to safeguard your infoYahoo Finance
- EQUIFAX: Hackers may have the personal details of 143 million US customersYahoo Finance
- Why the Equifax breach is very possibly the worst leak of personal info everArs Technica
- Caught up in the Equifax hack? Here's one thing you can do to protect yourselfLos Angeles Times
- Suspect trading in Equifax options before breach might have generated millions ...CNBC
- The Banality of the Equifax BreachThe Atlantic
- Equifax Screwed Up Its Data Breach From Nearly Every AngleNew York Magazine
- Equifax Breach Exposes 143M People to Identity TheftVoice of America
- Equifax's 'help' website may be costing people their right to sueThe Daily Dot
