Equifax data breach ensnares 143 million customers

The credit report company Equifax has revealed that around 143 million of its customers may have had their personal information compromised during a data breach several months ago.

The company revealed that hackers had accessed information including credit card numbers, birth dates and home addresses during the breach, which took place between mid-May and July.

"About 209,000 people have had their credit card numbers stolen, while hackers also stole documents with personal information on 182,000 victims," CNET reports.

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According to the BBC, the breach "is one of the largest ever reported in the US [and] some UK and Canadian customers were also affected".

It is the company's third major cybersecurity incident in the past two years.

"Adding to the scandal," says NBC News, three of the company's top executives sold Equifax shares just days after the breach was discovered."

John Gamble, chief financial officer, Jospeh Loughran, president of US information security, and Rodolfo Ploder, president of workforce solutions, reportedly sold shares worth an estimated total of $1.8m (£1.4m).

"I apologise to consumers and our business customers for the concern and frustration this causes," Equifax chief executive Richard Smith said. "We pride ourselves on being a leader in managing and protecting data, and we are conducting a thorough review of our overall security operations."