Equifax executives step down after major hack
SAN FRANCISCO: Equifax said that two executives entrusted with watching over its computers are retiring, their departures coming after its maligned handling of a major hack at the credit reporting agency.
The Equifax chief information officer and head of security will retire, effective immediately, as “part of the company’s ongoing review of the cybersecurity incident” that resulted in personal data of 143 million US customers being stolen by hackers.
An as yet unspecified number of Canadian and British customers may have also been affected by the hack at Equifax, one of the three major credit bureaus that collect consumer financial data.
The breach is considered one of the worst-ever because of the nature of data collected: bank and social security numbers and personal information of value to hackers and others.
An internal investigation into the hack continues and the company is working with the FBI, according to Equifax.
Word that top executives responsible for defending Equifax computer systems are out came on the same day that the Canadian privacy commissioner announced an investigation into the massive theft of personal data from the US credit agency.
A lawsuit by Canadian consumers whose data was stolen in the Equifax hack was launched this week, seeking class action status and damages of Can$550 billion. — AFP