The results of the Equifax cyber-attack
The cyber-attack on Equifax company took place between the middle of May to July. The attackers took advantage of outdated software in the agencies’ network. Equifax is one of the largest agencies that report its customers’ credit reports in the United States; it is expected to have the best security measures put in place (Dutt & Kaur, 2013). This attack was one of the most massive cyber-attack on personal information since the year 2015.
The results of the Equifax cyber-attack caught the whole population by surprise and risking all the population of the United States. Equifax attack exposed the personal information of their customers, including the birth certificates details, driving license details, and addresses of their clients (Moore, 2017). Credit card details of more than two hundred thousand people fell into the hands of the attackers, while documents of more than one hundred and eighty thousand of clients taken; the attackers took documents that were acquired from the clients who had issues with their disputes on credit records.
The cyber-attacks involved loss of personal data of more than one hundred and forty-eight million consumers. The data loss could be used by the attackers to access personal details since all required information was all taken. The attackers may also sell the data they acquired to the dark web, which is a significant threat to the security of the affected individuals (Kadivar, 2014). Since Equifax does not only give a report on individuals, it also reports on businesses and organizations. The breach was a significant threat to the security of all its citizens. Fifty percent of all those that were registered with the agency could have lost their personal data to the attackers (Moore, 2017).
During the attack, Equifax had to pay for the investigation on the cause of the attack. The investigations help the organization to understand its weaknesses in the system. The failure to update the software on the Equifax servers had to cost them. The apache software providers had warned their consumers on the importance (Kadivar, 2014) of keeping the servers up to date. Majorly the cost of the investigations could be high.
Future security costs came about when the Equifax Company attempted to secure the information on its clients. Equifax provided a website that enabled the member to provide their last name and the last six digits of their cards. The effort was not successful since the website did not work as expected; instead, customers received a request prompting them for a future date. The cost of replacing the cards of the organizations’ clients is expensive; a needs to be avoided at all costs.
The reputation of Equifax was greatly compromised during the incident of the attack. During the attack that leads to the sensitive data loss of her clients’ reputation was greatly affected. The reputation can be earned back though it requires great efforts. Securing the data of all clients is of paramount importance to any organization or business.
Many businesses and organizations depend on the data they are given by their clients to ensure quality service offerings. Since the attack, any other company or organization getting into contact with such sensitive data ensure they take all proactive measures (Moore, 2017). The organization not only has to focus on the advantage of having the data but also the security level required to give such data.