Equifax CEO retires in the wake of damaging data breach
(World News Science)

NEW YORK (AP) - Equifax CEO Richard Smith retired effective immediately on Tuesday, as the credit reporting agency tries to clean up the mess left by a damaging data breach that exposed highly sensitive information about 143 million Americans. His departure follows those of two other high-ranking executives after Equifax disclosure that hackers exploited a software flaw that the company didn`t fix to access people`s Social Security numbers, birthdates and other personal data that provide the keys to identify theft. Smith, who had been Equifax`s CEO since 2005, will also step down from the chairman post. Paulino do Rego Barros Jr. ......