In the summer of 2022, KrebsOnSecurity documented the plight of several readers who had their accounts at big-three consumer credit reporting bureau Experian hijacked after identity thieves simply re-registered the accounts using a different email address. Sixteen months later, Experian clearly has not addressed this gaping lack of security. I know that because my account at Experian was recently hacked, and the only way I could recover access was by recreating the account.
Entering my SSN and birthday at Experian showed my identity was tied to an email address I did not authorize.
I recently ordered a copy of my credit file from Experian via annualcreditreport.com, but as usual Experian declined to provide it, saying they couldn’t verify my identity. Attempts to log in to my account directly at Experian.com also failed; the site said it didn’t recognize my username and/or password.
A request for my Experian account username required my full Social Security number and date of birth, after which the website displayed portions of an email address I never authorized and did not recognize (the full address was redacted by Experian).
I immediately suspected that Experian was still allowing anyone to recreate their credit file account using the same personal information but a different email address, a major authentication failure that was explored in last year’s story, Experian, You Have Some Explaining to Do. So once again I sought to re-register as myself at Experian.
The homepage said I needed to provide a Social Security number and mobile ..
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