What is Equifax Data Breach?
A 2017 data breach at credit bureau Equifax that exposed the personal and financial data of 147 million Americans — including Social Security numbers, birth dates, and addresses — making it one of the most damaging breaches in history.
Also known as: Equifax Hack, Equifax Data Leak, 2017 Equifax Breach
The Equifax breach is the gold standard of why you should never trust companies with your most sensitive data. A credit bureau — whose entire business is collecting your financial information — failed to patch a known vulnerability for months.
What Happened
- March 2017: Apache Struts vulnerability (CVE-2017-5638) disclosed with available patch
- May–July 2017: Attackers exploited the unpatched vulnerability for 76 days
- July 29, 2017: Equifax discovered the breach
- September 7, 2017: Public disclosure — 6 weeks after discovery
What Was Exposed
- 147.9 million Americans affected (nearly half the US population)
- Social Security numbers
- Birth dates
- Home addresses
- Driver's license numbers
- 209,000 credit card numbers
- Dispute documents with personal information
Why It Matters
Unlike a retailer breach where you can change a password, you cannot change your Social Security number. The Equifax breach created a permanent identity theft risk for nearly half of all Americans. Data brokers and identity thieves have had this data for years.
The Aftermath
- $700 million settlement with the FTC (2019)
- Affected individuals received as little as $125 (most got far less)
- Equifax executives sold stock before public disclosure (insider trading investigation)
- Congress held hearings but passed no new legislation
- Equifax's stock price recovered within two years
What You Should Do
- Freeze your credit at all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) — it's free
- Monitor your credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com
- Use identity theft protection if you were affected
- Assume your SSN is compromised and act accordingly
- Remove your data from brokers — services like those on our /remove page can help
Related Terms
Credit Monitoring
Services that watch your credit reports and alert you to changes—new accounts, inquiries, or suspicious activity. Essential after a data breach when your information may be used for identity theft.
Data Breach
A security incident where protected, sensitive, or confidential data is accessed, stolen, or exposed by unauthorized individuals. Data breaches can result from hacking, insider threats, lost devices, or misconfigured systems.
Data Broker
A company that collects personal information from various sources, aggregates it into detailed profiles, and sells it to third parties. Data brokers operate largely in the shadows, compiling information about people who often don't know they exist.
Identity Theft
The fraudulent use of someone's personal information — such as Social Security number, credit card details, or login credentials — to commit crimes or financial fraud.
People Search Sites
Websites that aggregate and sell personal information including addresses, phone numbers, relatives, and criminal records, making anyone's details available for a small fee.
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