CHICAGO (AP) — The city of Chicago is suing the credit reporting company Equifax over a massive data breach that exposed personal information of about 143 million people.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is set to announce the lawsuit at a Thursday news conference. His office says the lawsuit accuses Equifax of violating Chicago’s consumer fraud ordinance and state laws.
Equifax disclosed this month that hackers exploited a software flaw that the company didn’t fix to heist Social Security numbers, birthdates and other personal data that provide the keys to identify theft.
Numerous lawsuits already have been filed over the breach, including by San Francisco and Massachusetts. The company also is facing scrutiny from Congress. CEO Richard Smith stepped down on Tuesday.