• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechEquifax

Congress Wants Equifax to Answer Questions About Massive Data Breach

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 8, 2017, 7:23 PM ET

High-ranking U.S. lawmakers want to know more about Equifax’s major data breach that has compromised the personal information of tens of millions of U.S. residents.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.) said Friday that his committee intends to hold a hearing on the historic data breach, which cybersecurity experts said dwarf other high-profile security incidents affecting companies like Yahoo (YHOO) and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Hensarling said his committee hasn’t determined when the hearing would be scheduled.

The Equifax data breach is more serious than others because of its sheer size and the sensitive personal data that may have been leaked. The credit monitoring company said the data breach, which was discovered on July 29 and disclosed publicly on Thursday, could impact 143 million people with birth dates and Social Security and drivers license numbers being compromised. Equifax also said that the “credit card numbers for approximately 209,000 U.S. consumers, and certain dispute documents with personal identifying information for approximately 182,000 U.S. consumers, were accessed.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

“This is obviously a very serious and very troubling situation and our committee has already begun preparations for a hearing,” Hensarling said in a statement. “Large-scale security breaches are becoming all too common. Every breach leaves consumers exposed and vulnerable to identity theft, fraud and a host of other crimes, and they deserve answers.”

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) also said his committee intends to hold a hearing about the data breach at a later date, according to The Hill.

“After receiving an initial briefing from Equifax, I have decided to hold a hearing on the matter so that we can learn what went wrong and what we need to do to better protect consumers from serious breaches like this in the future,” Walden said in a statement.

Additionally, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Calif.) sent a letter on Friday urging the House Judiciary Committee to investigate the incident. Lieu wants the committee to call representatives of the “Big Three” credit reporting agencies—Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax—to testify.

Although Experian and TransUnion don’t appear to be involved with the Equifax data breach, Lieu wants all of the credit reporting companies to detail their cybersecurity practices and what they are doing to prevent future incidents.

“Ultimately, consumer credit agencies should be one of our lines of defense against cyber attacks, and it is deeply disturbing whenever a firm that holds such valuable information gets breached,” Lieu wrote.

Fortune contacted Equifax for comment about the proposed hearings and will update this story if it responds.

Equifax CEO Richard Smith previously apologized on Thursday for the data breach and said, “This is clearly a disappointing event for our company, and one that strikes at the heart of who we are and what we do.”

“We pride ourselves on being a leader in managing and protecting data, and we are conducting a thorough review of our overall security operations,” Smith said in a statement. “We also are focused on consumer protection and have developed a comprehensive portfolio of services to support all U.S. consumers, regardless of whether they were impacted by this incident.”

The Wall Street Journal also reported that prior to Equifax’s data breach disclosure on Thursday, a congressional panel was debating a proposed bill that would lower the fines credit-monitoring companies receive when they issue flawed credit reports for their customers.

Equifax’s data breach could potentially derail the bill, which was proposed by Republican congressmen who want to cut back on government regulations, the report explained.

 

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Jensen Huang says some CEOs have a ‘God complex’ when it comes to AI apocalypse warnings, which can create shortages of critical workers
AIchief executive officer (CEO)
Jensen Huang says some CEOs have a ‘God complex’ when it comes to AI apocalypse warnings, which can create shortages of critical workers
By Jason MaMay 2, 2026
4 hours ago
Photo of several people working on a presentation together
AICareers
Big Tech is shelling out up to $1 million for new hires who will never have to write a line of code
By Sydney LakeMay 2, 2026
6 hours ago
dario
CommentaryAnthropic
Anthropic’s most powerful AI model just exposed a crisis in corporate governance. Here’s the framework every CEO needs.
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Stephen Henriques, Dan Kent and Holden LeeMay 2, 2026
9 hours ago
Photo of vegan cheese products
AITech
A Mark Cuban–backed vegan cheese company trained AI to scrutinize cardboard boxes. It’s saved $400,000
By Jake AngeloMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
Young trade worker learning on job
SuccessHiring
Forget Big Tech: Small businesses will hire nearly 1 million grads in 2026—and some of the hottest roles are gloriously AI-proof
By Emma BurleighMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
Andrew McAfee
SuccessCareers
MIT AI expert warns automating Gen Z entry-level jobs could backfire—and cost companies their future workforce
By Preston ForeMay 1, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
Personal Finance
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
A Chick-fil-A worker got fired and then showed up behind the register to allegedly refund himself over $80,000 in mac and cheese
Law
A Chick-fil-A worker got fired and then showed up behind the register to allegedly refund himself over $80,000 in mac and cheese
By Catherina GioinoMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of May 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
North America
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
By Jake AngeloApril 30, 2026
2 days ago
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
By Preston ForeApril 27, 2026
5 days ago
Current price of gold as of May 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of May 1, 2026
By Danny BakstMay 1, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.