Equifax initially estimated that its 2017 data breach potentially affected 143 million U.S. consumers. That was not the final count: the Government Accountability Office later reported a revision to 145.5 million, and the Federal Trade Commission subsequently described approximately 147 million affected. The changing figures reflect later identification of affected people, not three estimates made at the same time.
What happened in the Equifax breach?
Equifax disclosed the breach on September 7, 2017. The company said unauthorized access to its systems had occurred from mid-May through July and was discovered on July 29. Its initial estimate was about 143 million potentially affected U.S. consumers. The House Oversight Committee’s timeline says Equifax compiled its initial list by September 4, before the public announcement.
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Information accessed included names, Social Security numbers, birth dates and addresses. In some cases, driver’s license numbers were involved. Equifax also reported access to payment-card numbers for approximately 209,000 people and dispute documents containing personal identifying information for approximately 182,000. These figures describe different types of information and should not be added to the affected-consumer estimate.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIn its September 7 announcement, Equifax CEO Richard F. Smith said, “I apologize to consumers and our business customers for the concern and frustration this causes.”
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Why did Equifax’s affected count change?
The 143 million figure was Equifax’s initial estimate. The GAO reported that Equifax changed it to 145.5 million on October 2, 2017, after discovering that an attacker’s query had returned data. Equifax later identified about 2.4 million additional consumers; the GAO noted that the company had not established how many of those people overlapped with the 145.5 million estimate. In its 2019 settlement announcement, the FTC described approximately 147 million affected.
| Figure | Source and date | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| 143 million | Equifax, September 7, 2017 | Initial estimate of potentially affected U.S. consumers. |
| 145.5 million | GAO report, 2019, recounting Equifax’s October 2, 2017 revision | Revised estimate after Equifax found an attacker’s query had returned data. |
| Approximately 147 million | FTC settlement announcement, July 22, 2019 | The FTC’s later description of the number of affected people. |
These figures come from different updates and descriptions; they should not be read as identical measurements made at one moment. The FTC also reported that at least 145.5 million Social Security numbers and 209,000 payment-card numbers were exposed.
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What did investigators say about the security failure?
In its case against Equifax, the FTC alleged that the company failed to ensure a critical vulnerability was patched after receiving an alert in March 2017. That is the agency’s allegation about the company’s security practices, rather than a claim that should be presented without attribution.
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What should you do if you may have been affected?
The breach involved sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, so use current official consumer guidance to decide what protective steps make sense for your situation. The FTC’s 2019 settlement announcement and consumer advice described monitoring and reimbursement provisions at that time, but those are historical settlement details. The available information here does not establish whether any particular claim or benefit is still available. Check the FTC’s current guidance before relying on a past settlement benefit or submitting a claim.
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