Equifax hack put more info at risk than consumers knew

This Saturday, July 21, 201 file, photo shows signage at the corporate headquarters of Equifax Inc. in Atlanta. Equifax has disclosed to lawmakers that its data breach exposed more of consumers' personal information than the company first made public last year. The credit reporting company submitted paperwork to the Senate Banking Committee showing criminals accessed information such as tax identification numbers, email addresses, phone numbers and more, Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
This Saturday, July 21, 201 file, photo shows signage at the corporate headquarters of Equifax Inc. in Atlanta. Equifax has disclosed to lawmakers that its data breach exposed more of consumers' personal information than the company first made public last year. The credit reporting company submitted paperwork to the Senate Banking Committee showing criminals accessed information such as tax identification numbers, email addresses, phone numbers and more, Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

The Equifax data breach exposed more of consumers’ personal information than the company first disclosed last year, according to documents given to lawmakers.

The credit reporting company announced in September the personal information of 145.5 million consumers had been compromised in a data breach. It originally said the information accessed included names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and — in some cases — driver’s license numbers and credit card numbers. It also said some consumers’ credit card numbers were among the information exposed, as well as the personal information from thousands of dispute documents.

However, Atlanta-based Equifax Inc. recently disclosed in a document submitted to the Senate Banking Committee, a forensic investigation found criminals accessed other information from company records. According to the document, provided to the Associated Press by Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office, it included tax identification numbers, email addresses and phone numbers. Finer details, such as the expiration dates for credit cards or issuing states for driver’s licenses, were also included in the list.

The additional insight into the massive breach was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Equifax’s disclosure, which it has not made directly to consumers, underscores the depth of detail the company keeps on individuals it may have put at risk. And it adds to the string of missteps the company has made in recovering from the security debacle.