Aflac customer data breached by cybercriminals in – Business News
Aflac’s customer data has been breached in the newest cyberattack on the US insurance coverage industry – doubtlessly jeopardizing Social Security numbers, insurance coverage claims and health info, the company mentioned Friday.
It’s the biggest insurance coverage company but to fall sufferer to a main hacking, with tens of tens of millions of prospects and a $55 billion market cap.
“This attack, like many insurance companies are currently experiencing, was caused by a sophisticated cybercrime group,” Aflac mentioned Friday.
Aflac mentioned Friday that its community had been hacked by cybercriminals. yu_photo – stock.adobe.com
Aflac — long identified for its quacking duck TV commercials — mentioned it’s unable to find out the overall quantity of impacted people and the particular data stolen.
Its systems weren’t affected by ransomware, so it’s absolutely operational, and the company has engaged third-party cybersecurity specialists, Aflac added.
It mentioned it stopped the intrusion on June 12 hours after it seen suspicious exercise.
Erie Insurance and Philadelphia Insurance Companies have additionally reported hacks this month.
Both of these circumstances led to widespread disruptions throughout their IT systems.
All three of the key hacks are in line with techniques used by a group of younger cybercriminals generally known as Scattered Spider, sources conversant in the investigation informed CNN.
Aflac mentioned the hackers used “social engineering” ways to breach their community, manipulating workers to gain entry to a company system and infrequently posing as tech help staff over the cellphone — a trademark of Scattered Spider.
All three of the key hacks are in line with strategies used by Scattered Spider, sources informed CNN. Montri – stock.adobe.com
In the previous, these hackers have posed as company help desk staffers to acquire credentials from workers or tricked staff into putting in instruments on their units that can hand over community entry, in response to the US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency.
Scattered Spider is believed to be made up of teenagers and younger adults in the US and UK and is thought for aggressively extorting victims.
Its members just lately focused Marks & Spencer and different UK retailers, and famously carried out a hacking spree throughout Las Vegas casinos in September 2023.
Cybersecurity executives have sounded the alarms over the group’s assault on the US insurance coverage industry, warning corporations to inform their workers to be cautious of suspicious cellphone calls.
Aflac didn’t point out Scattered Spider by title in its press release.
