- Equifax disclosed earlier this month that 143 million U.S. consumers’ personal information was hacked
- Smith had been Equifax’s CEO since 2005
- Paulino do Rego Barros Jr. was named interim CEO
- Departure follows the abrupt retirement of Equifax’s chief security officer and chief information officer
U.S. credit reporting firm Equifax Inc said on Tuesday its Chief Executive Richard Smith will retire, a week before he was expected to testify before a Senate Banking Committee in the wake of a massive cyber attack.
Equifax disclosed earlier this month that personal details of up to 143 million U.S. consumers were accessed by hackers between mid-May and July, in one of the largest data breaches in the United States.
‘At this critical juncture, I believe it is in the best interests of the company to have new leadership to move the company forward,’ Smith said.
Chief Executive Richard Smith will retire, a week before he was expected to testify before a Senate Banking Committee in the wake of a massive cyber attack
The shake-up announced Tuesday comes after Equifax disclosed 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.
Smith had been Equifax’s CEO since 2005. Paulino do Rego Barros Jr. was named interim CEO.
Although many analysts had applauded Equifax’s performance under Smith, he and the rest of his management team had come under fire for lax security and its response to the breach.
Smith’s departure follows the abrupt retirement of Equifax’s chief security officer and chief information officer.