Anthem insurance has been hacked, leaving tens of millions of its accounts compromised.
Late Wednesday, Anthem announced a breach in their cyber database, which held information for 80 million clients. Social security numbers, addresses, and other private information were stolen in the security breach.
Anthem is the second largest provider of health insurance in the country, and their database was hacked into by an unknown source. Reuters reports that several U.S. states are working with Anthem to investigate the breach. Some believe that the cyberattack may be linked to China. The Attorney Generals of Illinois, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and North Carolina are participating in the case.
Some believe that those responsible for the recent attack were hired by the Chinese state to steal information regarding government and military officials in the United States. Those who are familiar with the probe state the breach may have been for personal information about politically significant individuals, as opposed to identity theft. Any connections with China are currently being investigated.
Anthem has set up options for their clients to monitor activity on their accounts. The company is notifying those who are possibly affected about free credit monitoring as well as protection from identity theft. Anthem has also made available a phone line for customers who have questions regarding the security breach.
Although this cyber breach has cost tens of millions of Anthem insurance holders their security of information, not all of Anthem’s accounts were compromised. Tens of millions of accounts remain uncompromised.
Anthem members who had their information stolen are encouraged to remain vigilant of their account activity. Often times, hackers will use or sell the insurance holder account information to pay for medical bills and services. Cyber attacks are increasing dramatically, and insurance companies have become a popular target amongst hackers in recent times. Currently, both federal and private agencies are searching for those responsible for the attack.
