Personal details of 143 million customers were leaked by the hackers between mid-May and July

Equifax, one of the largest credit reporting agencies in the US, confessed on last Thursday that personal details of 143 million customers were leaked by the hackers between mid-May and July.

The stolen data includes names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and other personal information for 143 million Americans which could be one of the largest breaches in the United States.

According to Equifax, it discovered the breach on July 29. The hackers accessed the data by exploiting a vulnerability in the web application which led them to certain files that included names, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license number.

Equifax added that credit card numbers of around 209,000 U.S. consumers and certain dispute documents with personal identifying information of around 182,000 U.S. consumers were accessed. Information of some UK and Canadian residents was also gained in the hack.

Equifax has set up a Website where you can check to see if any of your information was stolen. The company will be notifying victims by mail and will be offering free credit monitoring services.

Meanwhile, Equifax is working with a forensic firm to investigate the breach and says its investigation is ongoing.