How to see if you're affected by the Equifax security breach

Nearly half of Americans may have had their personal information compromised in a data breach at Equifax, one of the largest credit monitoring agencies in the country. The Atlanta-based company said Thursday it had been hit by a high-tech heist.

The theft obtained consumers' names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some cases, driver's license numbers. That data can be enough for crooks to steal an identity.

The Equifax CEO has apologized and reassured the thieves have not yet done anything malicious with the information. However, that doesn't mean we're all in the clear.

"We have to assume that all of our information has already been compromised. Just beacuse there's been no illegal activity yet, doesn't mean there won't be going forward," says David Derigiotis, a Michigan cyber risk expert.

HOW TO CHECK

The company established a website, www.equifaxsecurity2017.com, where people can check to see if their personal information may have been stolen.

Click here to see if your personal information is potentially impacted. You will be asked to enter your last name and the last six digits of your social security number.

Consumers can also call 866-447-7559 for more information.

Regardless of if your information may have been compromised, Equifax is providing everyone the option to enroll in TrustedID Premier for free.

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