Edit: Read this for some insight, Politico may have jumped the gun on this reporting: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=250835795&postcount=19
Added bonus:
The no-bid contract was issued last week, as the company continued facing fallout from its massive security breach.
The IRS will pay Equifax $7.25 million to verify taxpayer identities and help prevent fraud under a no-bid contract issued last week, even as lawmakers lash the embattled company about a massive security breach that exposed personal information of as many as 145.5 million Americans.
A contract award for Equifax's data services was posted to the Federal Business Opportunities database Sept. 30 — the final day of the fiscal year. The credit agency will "verify taxpayer identity" and "assist in ongoing identity verification and validations" at the IRS, according to the award.
The notice describes the contract as a "sole source order," meaning Equifax is the only company deemed capable of providing the service. It says the order was issued to prevent a lapse in identity checks while officials resolve a dispute over a separate contract.
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/03/equifax-irs-fraud-protection-contract-243419Equifax disclosed a cybersecurity breach in September that potentially compromised the personal information, including Social Security numbers, of more than 145 million Americans — data that security experts have described as the crown jewels for identity thieves. The company is one of three major credit reporting bureaus whose data determine whether consumers qualify for mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and other financial commitments.
Added bonus:
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/03/equifax-congress-lawmakers-react-243409Lawmakers: Equifax should be 'shamed'
Lawmakers from across the ideological spectrum blasted credit reporting giant Equifax Tuesday over the security breakdown that allowed hackers to steal the personal data of more than 145 million Americans.
The anger came during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, the first in a series of four grueling Capitol Hill appearances this week for ousted Equifax CEO Richard Smith, who recently resigned amid the public furor over the digital intrusion.
"Equifax deserves to be shamed in this hearing," said Illinois' Jan Schakowsky, the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce consumer protection subpanel.
Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden said Equifax's "ham-handed" response to the breach "makes me wonder" whether the company had a plan in place to deal with such an incident.
"It's like the guards at Fort Knox forgot to lock the doors," said the Oregon Republican.