A FBI flash alert obtained by CyberScoop shows the FBI is pushing the private sector to close the vulnerability linked to the massive data breach at Equifax

While law enforcement agents were sent to immediately investigate how and why hackers broke into Equifax, other federal agencies, like the Homeland Security Department, were focusing on understanding the threat posed to the larger industry, a senior U.S. official said.

The official's comments to CyberScoop are the first from a government source regarding the cause behind one of the largest data breaches in history, which was publicly announced last week.

Lawmakers are putting pressure on Equifax after hackers were able to breach the credit reporting behemoth and compromise millions of customer records.