“Hackers Accessed the Personal Data of 143 Million People, Equifax Says”

Equifax, an international credit reporting agency, has announced that a cybersecurity breach exposed the personal information of 143 million U.S. consumers. In a statement released Thursday, the agency acknowledged that "criminals exploited a website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files.” Those files include data such as Social Security numbers, birthdates and addresses. For a span of roughly two months — from mid-May through July 29, when Equifax says it uncovered the breach — hackers had access to this information. All told, the number of American consumers affected constitutes about 44 percent of the U.S. population. "This is clearly a disappointing event for our company, and one that strikes at the heart of who we are and what we do. I apologize to consumers and our business customers for the concern and frustration this causes," said Chairman and CEO Richard F. Smith in a statement. Equifax, for its part, says it has been in touch with law enforcement and that it has set up a website and a call center for consumers to determine whether they have been affected by the breach announced Thursday. As gargantuan as the numbers may be, The New York Times points out this is not the largest data breach in history. That dubious distinction goes to Yahoo.

In Other News It's a big day for Apple. The tech giant is expected to unveil the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X at an event Tuesday, promising wireless charging, a better camera, a bigger screen and a much higher price.  Sure, CEO Tim Cook may face criticism if the company prices the highest-end version of the new iPhone at $1,000 or more, as rumored. Yet analysts think people will still be more than happy to shell out. When Amazon announced plans to open a second headquarters in North America last week, cities were quick to express interest in hosting its new facilities. It's no surprise cities would clamor at this possibility; after all, Amazon will spend billions of dollars developing the headquarters and hire 50,000 workers. While many would love to call their city a home for Amazon, some locations make more sense than others. Given Amazon's interest in a sizable city with good transportation, strong schools and a talented workforce, here are cities the tech giant should consider: Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Dallas, Austin, Boston, San Jose and Washington D.C. Teaching Sept. 11 To Students Who Were Born After The Attacks http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/09/11/549532978/teaching-sept-11-to-students-who-were-born-after-the-attacks-happened Rafael Nadal was victorious in the 2017 U.S. Open men's singles final Sunday, as he defeated Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York. It's the third U.S. Open title of Nadal's historic career and his 16th major singles title overall. He now trails Roger Federer by three for the most all-time Grand Slam titles in men's singles. Carson Wentz threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns as the second-year quarterback guided the Philadelphia Eagles to a 30-17 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday in a sloppy, mistake-filled season opener between the NFC East rivals. Wentz was 26 of 39 and threw an interception that was retuned for a touchdown by the Redskins.