Equifax breach affected 8,000 Canadians, cybersecurity report concludes

Equifax’s investigation into the cybersecurity breach that occurred between mid-May 2017 and July 2017 has officially concluded.

Cybersecurity firm Mandiant (retained by Equifax) has determined that roughly 8,000 Canadians have been affected by the breach — significantly fewer than the previously reported up to 100,000 Canadians who were believed to have had their names, addresses, Social Insurance Numbers and credit card numbers accessed by hackers.

“In addition, it was also determined that some of the consumers with affected credit cards announced in the company’s initial statement are Canadian,” reads an excerpt from an October 2nd, 2017 media release.

The company said that it will alert all potentially affected customers by mailing written notices.

Mandiant’s investigation also revealed that a total of 145.5 million U.S. customers were affected by the breach — 2.5 million more than the previously estimated 143 million.

The company’s investigation into its U.K. customers is also complete, but Equifax is still in the process of analyzing how many Britons were affected.

“As this important phase of our work is now completed, we continue to take numerous steps to review and enhance our cybersecurity practices,” said Paulino do Rego Barros, Equifax’s interim CEO, in the same release. “We also continue to work closely with our internal team and outside advisors to implement and accelerate long-term security improvements.”

Source: CNW