How the Massive Equifax Data Breach Happened

Summary

This SciShow episode covers two major topics: the Equifax data breach, which exposed the personal information of 143 million consumers due to a software vulnerability, and the discovery of Dickinsonia, a mysterious ancient organism. The Equifax breach highlights the risks of negligence in cybersecurity, while the Dickinsonia fossils shed light on the early evolution of animals. The episode also promotes Brilliant.org, a platform for learning and problem-solving in science, offering interactive courses that enhance understanding of concepts like physics and the greenhouse effect.

Takeaways

• 😀 Equifax, one of the big three U.S. credit agencies, was hacked, exposing personal data of 143 million consumers, including social security numbers and credit card details.
• 😀 The breach was due to a vulnerability in Apache Struts, a widely-used framework, which was made public in March 2017 but was not patched in time by Equifax.
• 😀 The vulnerability, known as CVE-2017-5638, allowed hackers to exploit web forms to execute malicious code on the server through a technique called remote code execution.
• 😀 Even after the vulnerability was announced and patched by the Apache Foundation, Equifax did not update its systems, allowing the hackers to exploit the flaw for two months.
• 😀 The breach is being investigated by the FBI, the FTC, and lawsuits have been filed against Equifax, raising questions about the company's negligence.
• 😀 In addition to the original vulnerability, a new bug in Apache Struts was announced, posing further risks if not addressed quickly by companies like Equifax.
• 😀 The second story delves into a scientific mystery from 550 million years ago: Dickinsonia, an ancient organism whose classification was uncertain for decades.
• 😀 Dickinsonia fossils were recently studied, and scientists confirmed that it was an animal, likely part of the Placozoa group, adding new insights into the origins of animals.
• 😀 Dickinsonia grew in two ways: by adding new units and by increasing the size of existing units, showing that it had a distinct growth pattern compared to other organisms.
• 😀 The discovery of Dickinsonia adds to the growing body of evidence that animals may have existed earlier than previously thought, challenging traditional views about the Cambrian Explosion.
• 😀 Brilliant.org, a problem-solving website, offers interactive lessons and quizzes that help users think like scientists and understand complex concepts in STEM fields.

Q & A

What is the significance of the Equifax data breach?

The Equifax data breach is significant because it involved the theft of private data, including social security numbers and birth dates, for 143 million consumers. This breach also highlighted the negligence of Equifax in failing to update their systems to fix known vulnerabilities in their software.

How did the hackers gain access to Equifax's systems?

The hackers exploited a vulnerability in the Apache Struts software, which Equifax used for its website. This vulnerability, CVE-2017-5638, allowed hackers to inject malicious code into the system through web forms, enabling remote code execution.

What is remote code execution, and how does it relate to the Equifax breach?

Remote code execution is a type of hack where attackers can run malicious code on a server. In the case of the Equifax breach, the vulnerability in Apache Struts allowed hackers to send malicious code through web forms, potentially compromising the system.

What was the timeline of the Apache Struts vulnerability and the Equifax breach?

The Apache Struts vulnerability, CVE-2017-5638, was announced in March 2017, but Equifax did not update their systems until after the breach, which occurred in mid-May 2017, two months later.

What actions have been taken in response to the Equifax breach?

In response to the Equifax breach, over thirty lawsuits have been filed, the FBI and FTC have launched investigations, and legislative hearings are planned to further understand the cause and consequences of the breach.

What is the significance of the discovery about Dickinsonia?

The discovery about Dickinsonia is significant because it clarifies that this ancient organism, previously thought to be either an animal or a non-animal, is indeed an animal. This finding sheds light on the origins of animals and extends our understanding of early life on Earth.

What were the characteristics of Dickinsonia that made it difficult to classify?

Dickinsonia had a flattened, oval shape, was bilaterally symmetrical, and consisted of rib-like units. Its mysterious structure made it difficult to classify, with some scientists thinking it was a jellyfish-like animal, while others considered it a fungus or something else entirely.

How did scientists determine that Dickinsonia was an animal?

Scientists determined Dickinsonia was an animal by analyzing its growth patterns and comparing its body structure to other known animals. They found that Dickinsonia grew by adding body units and inflating them as it matured, a characteristic of animal development.

What is the importance of the Ediacaran Period in the context of Dickinsonia?

The Ediacaran Period, which occurred between 541 and 635 million years ago, is significant because it predates the Cambrian Explosion and contains soft-bodied organisms like Dickinsonia that might represent the earliest forms of animals, challenging previous assumptions about the origins of complex life.

How does the discovery of Dickinsonia impact our understanding of the origins of animals?

The discovery of Dickinsonia as an animal adds evidence to the growing body of research suggesting that the ancestors of modern animals might have originated earlier than previously thought, pushing back the timeline of animal evolution.