Equifax has suffered one of the largest data breaches in history that has left highly sensitive data of as many as 143 million people—that’s nearly half of the US population—in the hands of hackers.
Based on the company’s investigation, some unknown hackers managed to exploit a security flaw on the Equifax website and gained unauthorized access to certain files between mid-May and July 2017.
Source: Equifax Data Breach: Steps You should Take to Protect Yourself