U.S. states probing security breach at Experian unit

U.S. states probing security breach at Experian unit: A number of U.S. states are jointly investigating a data breach involving a subsidiary of Experian Plc that exposed the social security numbers of some 200 million people to potential criminal activity.

A Vietnamese man last month confessed in U.S. District Court in New Hampshire to orchestrating the breach, so the focus of the multistate investigation will likely be on whether Experian and other parties followed laws requiring companies to properly secure consumer data and comply with breach disclosure rules.

“We are investigating,” Maura Possley, a spokeswoman for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, told Reuters on Thursday. “It’s part of a multistate investigation.”

Jaclyn Falkowski, spokeswoman for Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, said Connecticut is also looking into the matter.

Possley and Falkowski declined comment when asked what other states were participating.

News of the breach surfaced as the Obama administration seeks to strengthen the government’s ability to compel businesses to adequately secure consumer data. FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez on Wednesday asked the Senate Homeland Security committee to pass national breach notification legislation.

A spokesman for Experian, which is best known for providing consumer credit histories, declined comment on the probe, saying the company does not comment on such investigations as a matter of policy.