Equifax disclosed that hackers breached a file containing 15.2 million records in the United Kingdom. The attack happened between 2011 and 2016.
In a statement , the credit reporting firm said, “Regrettably, this file contained data relating to actual consumers as well as sizeable test data sets, duplicates and spurious field.”
Equifax used all of its available analytical tool and data assets to establish the identities of consumers impacted by the data breach. After completing its analysis, the credit reporting firm placed consumers into specific risk categories. The company also determined services to protect them from those risks.
Equifax said 700,000 UK consumers at risk
According to Equifax, hackers stole the personal information of 693,665 UK consumers, higher than its initial estimate of 400,000. The company will notify affected consumers regarding the nature of the hacking and offer them proper advice.
Additionally, the firm said the remaining 14.5 million records that are potentially compromised contain the name and birth dates of certain UK consumers.
