Massive Equifax Data Breach May Have Leaked Even More Private Data Than Previously Thought

Last year, a hacker group was able to penetrate credit reporting agency Equifax and make off with information, including the social security numbers, of 143 million Americans. Only a few days after the hack, a ransom demand for the return of the information was made to the tune of $2.6 million in bitcoin via the dark web. Now it is believed that the hackers are also believed to have made off with other personal data about Americans including tax ID numbers and driver's license details.

Other data leaked in the hack that we already knew about included names, birthdates, social security numbers, home addresses and driver's license numbers. Reports are now indicating that the hack exposed more data than was previously thought. New details have come forth thanks to confidential documents that Equifax has provided to the Senate Banking Committee that were seen by CNN.

The new document shows that along with the license number, the driver state and issue date might have been compromised. CNN Money reports that an Equifax spokesperson Meredith Griffanti told the publication that the original list of leaked personal information was never intended to represent all the potentially exposed details.

Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter Friday to Equifax CEO Paulino do Rego Barros Jr. inquiring about the incomplete information provided to Congress. The letter stated in part, "As your company continues to issue incomplete, confusing and contradictory statements and hide information from Congress and the public, it is clear that five months after the breach was publicly announced, Equifax has yet to answer this simple question in full: what was the precise extent of the breach?"

Equifax has responded to lawmakers stating that the information that it has compiled so far is "not exhaustive" but represents the common personal information that hackers usually want to steal. Unauthorized access to personal information via the Equifax breach lasted from May through July 2017. Equifax is still being probed by Congress, Federal agencies, and state officials over the breach. Executives from the company are also facing issues surrounding potential insider trading after some on the executive team sold off a combined $1.8 million in stock ahead of announcing the breach publicly.