Technology
What You Need to Know About the Equifax Data Breach
written by Patricia Stoner Myers
As you may have already heard, Equifax, one of the three credit monitoring agencies, suffered a data breach from May through July 2017. They discovered the cybersecurity incident on July 29, 2017, and have stopped the intrusion. However, they identified a possible impact to approximately 143 million U.S. consumers. The information accessed primarily includes names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses and driver’s license numbers. You should monitor your personal information. Visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website (www.ftc.gov/idtheft), for steps to better protect against identity theft. Due to this breach, Equifax has setup free credit file monitoring and ID protection products for one year. You may consider enrolling in their free service once their security issues have been resolved. Everyone should be extra vigilant about potential phishing emails. Considering this breach, the emails could include personal data, thus appearing more legitimate.
We will continue to monitor and update this post with new information. Contact us if you have any questions 417-881-0145.
View Similar Blogs
Other blogs about cybersecurity and your business
IT Audit vs. Cybersecurity Assessment: What’s the Difference?
If you’ve been told you need an IT audit, you might have also heard the term cybersecurity assessment in the same conversation. They sound similar. They’re often confused. But they’re not the same...
Mid-Year Tax Planning: Why July Matters More Than January
For most business owners, tax planning is something that happens in the spring. You gather your documents, you meet with your accountant, and you deal with whatever the year produced. It feels like...
Third-Party Risk Management for Community Banks: A Practical Checklist
Every community bank uses outside vendors. Core banking. Payments. Cybersecurity. Loan platforms. The list adds up fast. Regulators know this. And they expect you to have a process for managing the...