The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into the recent data breach at credit reporting agency Equifax, which compromised the data of nearly 143 million people, reports The Washington Post.
Equifax on July 29 discovered cybercriminals gained access to its files through a website application vulnerability, potentially exposing customer financial data includes names, Social Security numbers and birth dates, among other information.
Following the FTC's announcement, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., along with 11 other democratic senators, said they plan to introduce a bill that would allow consumers to freeze their credit for free, reports Reuters.
The proposed bill would stop companies from charging consumers when they seek to freeze or unfreeze access to their credit files. Credit freezes can stop account fraud when thieves apply for credit using another person's information.
Ms. Warren has also launched her own probe into the Equifax hack, expressing concerns over the regulatory framework of the overall credit report agency industry.
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