Equifax and TransUnion, two of the three biggest U.S. credit-reporting companies, said they uncovered cases where perpetrators gained illegal, unauthorized access to users' information.
"We are aware of recent media reports pertaining to unauthorized access to files belonging to high-profile individuals," Equifax said in a statement sent via e-mail. "Equifax can confirm that fraudulent and unauthorized access to four consumer credit reports has occurred."
TransUnion said that those responsible used "considerable amounts" of personal information, including Social Security numbers, to impersonate victims and gain illegal and fraudulent access to credit reports.
The attacks underscore the vulnerability of the biggest credit-reporting companies as custodians of sensitive, personal financial data, from credit card balances to mortgage debts. Bloomberg News reported in October about 86 breaches against Experian Plc, another report provider, that occurred through hacking attacks on the online accounts of small organizations such as banks, auto dealers and even a police department that do business with Experian.
