Equifax Breach
05/15/21 • 71 min
When consumer reporting agency Equifax was breached in 2017, the records of over 140 million people (more than half the adults in the USA!) were stolen. Years later, we take a closer look at the mistakes Equifax's security team made, how hackers leveraged a compromised Equifax web page to gain access to logins, passwords, and dozens of additional databases, and how they got the stolen data out of Equifax's network through a flawed router setup. We wrap up what you can do to keep yourself safe from identity theft as a result of this and other breaches.
Resources for this episode:
- Website where you can check if your identity was compromised in the Equifax breach
- Business Insider: Literally everyone should be thinking about suing Equifax. September 2017.
- U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: The Equifax Data Breach. December 2018.
- CHINESE PLA MEMBERS, 54th RESEARCH INSTITUTE - The fellas charged with the Equifax breach, now on the FBI's wanted list.
- United States Government Accountability Office Report to Congressional Requesters
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When consumer reporting agency Equifax was breached in 2017, the records of over 140 million people (more than half the adults in the USA!) were stolen. Years later, we take a closer look at the mistakes Equifax's security team made, how hackers leveraged a compromised Equifax web page to gain access to logins, passwords, and dozens of additional databases, and how they got the stolen data out of Equifax's network through a flawed router setup. We wrap up what you can do to keep yourself safe from identity theft as a result of this and other breaches.
Resources for this episode:
- Website where you can check if your identity was compromised in the Equifax breach
- Business Insider: Literally everyone should be thinking about suing Equifax. September 2017.
- U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: The Equifax Data Breach. December 2018.
- CHINESE PLA MEMBERS, 54th RESEARCH INSTITUTE - The fellas charged with the Equifax breach, now on the FBI's wanted list.
- United States Government Accountability Office Report to Congressional Requesters
An Acxiom podcast where we discuss marketing made better, bringing you real...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Digital Disruption with Geoff NielsonDiscover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Join our Patreon to listen ad-free!
Next Episode
Crypto Wars
Say No to the NSA! Until the mid-1970s, the National Security Agency held an iron grip on all research into computer-based cryptography in the USA. In this episode, we talk about how the NSA squashed all public research into cryptography in the 1950s and 1960s, but loosened its grip to work to develop the Digital Encryption Standard (DES) with IBM. Then, in the 1970s, mathematicians Whitfield Diffie, Martin Hellman, and others went head-to-head with the NSA to make cryptography available to us all. Their research, and their courage, forever changed the face of modern cybersecurity.
Resources:
- Truman original memo regarding formation of NSA: https://www.nsa.gov/Portals/70/documents/news-features/declassified-documents/truman/truman-memo.pdf
- NSA American Cryptology During the Cold War 1945-1989: https://www.nsa.gov/Portals/70/documents/news-features/declassified-documents/cryptologic-histories/cold_war_iii.pdf
- Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government - Saving Privacy in the Digital Age: https://www.amazon.com/Crypto-Rebels-Government-Privacy-Digital/dp/B092RLYFTR/
- Paper: "A Mathematical Theory of Communication" by Claude Shannon: https://people.math.harvard.edu/~ctm/home/text/others/shannon/entropy/entropy.pdf
- J. A. Meyer letter to IEEE in July 1977: https://cryptome.org/hellman/1977-0707-Meyer-letter.pdf
An Acxiom podcast where we discuss marketing made better, bringing you real...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Digital Disruption with Geoff NielsonDiscover how technology is reshaping our lives and livelihoods.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Everyday AI: Your daily guide to grown with Generative AICan't keep up with AI? We've got you. Everyday AI helps you keep up and get ahead.
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How Hacks Happen - Equifax Breach
Transcript
00:00:09.15 Michele: Hello, and welcome to "How Hacks Happen," where we explore and explain epic hacks and crazy shenanigans in the world of cybersecurity. I'm your host, Michele Bousquet.
00:00:20.63 Kerry: And I'm Kerry, the co-host for this episode.
00:00:23.59 Michele: Even if you know nothing about cybersecurity, you should be able to understand all of the explanations here, and the implications for you and your own security.<
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