Potentially 80 million people have had their health insurance information stolen by hackers. Anthem president and CEO Joseph Swedish stated today that “Anthem was the target of a very sophisticated external cyber attack.” Anthem includes several major Blue Cross and Blue Shield Brands.
Kristin Binns, a vice president for Anthem, said in a statement that “The information accessed includes names, birthdays, social security numbers, street addresses, email addresses and employment information, including income data.”
Tom Gorup, security operations center manager for Rook Security said that this is an enormous breach, amounting to a treasure trove of information. “Just because the attacker stole the data today doesn’t mean they’ll sell it tomorrow,” he said to NBC News. “They could sit on this information for years.”
Cindy Wakefield, an Anthem spokeswoman said that the 80 million affected is an estimate “but we are still investigating to determine how many were impacted. At this point we believe it was tens of millions.”
The company believes that the health records of patients is not likely what they were after, but the data that could be used to perform financial fraud in the future.
Anthem has a website at www.anthemfacts.com, where members can access information. There is also a toll-free number for members to call, 877-263-7995.
“Anthem’s own associates’ personal information — including my own — was accessed during this security breach. We join in your concern and frustration and I assure you that we are working around the clock to do everything we can to further secure your data,” CEO Swedish said.
The FBI has reportedly been alerted and is investigating. “Anthem’s initial response in promptly notifying the FBI after observing suspicious network activity is a model for other companies and organizations facing similar circumstances. Speed matters when notifying law enforcement of an intrusion, as cyber criminals can quickly destroy critical evidence needed to identify those responsible,” said FBI spokesman Joshua Campbell.
[divider]Sponsored[/divider]
Ever considered running for office? Get our informational packet with all the data that you need to run, and win, an election. Click our sponsor’s link below for more information.
Click Here!
