UK Authorities Fine US-Based Equifax Agency Over $650,000 Due To 2017 Consumer Data Breach

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th September, 2018) The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said on Thursday it had fined the US-headquartered consumer credit reporting agency Equifax 500,000 Pounds (over $650,000) due to the company's failure to protect personal details of 15 million UK customers during the large-scale cyberattack in 2017.

"The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) issued Equifax Ltd with a �500,000 fine for failing to protect the personal information of up to 15 million UK citizens during a cyber attack in 2017," the ICO said in a statement.

The probe into the data breach found the failure to ensure proper data retention, IT system patching and audit procedures on the part of Equifax.

Moreover, the US Department of Homeland Security had informed Equifax about its vulnerability prior to the cyberattack, however, the company had failed to take the needed steps to protect user data, according to ICO.

The UK regulator noted that personal data, such as Names and dates of birth, addresses, passwords, driving license and financial details, had been compromised during the incident.

The large-scale attack took place between May and July 2017. A total of 146 million people across the world have been affected by the data breach.