Customer data possibly leaked in Aflac cyberattack, the third insurance hack this month
The Aflac breach potentially impacted files with customers' Social Security numbers and health details.
Insurance company Aflac disclosed this week that cybercriminals breached its U.S. network and may have accessed customers' personal information, the latest in a string of cyberattacks on insurance companies announced this month.
Aflac, which provides home and life insurance and manages data for more than 50 million policyholders, said in a June 20 federal regulatory filing it identified suspicious activity on its U.S. network on June 12. The company said it believes it stopped the intrusion within hours of identifying it, calling the attack part of a 'cybercrime campaign against the insurance industry.'
The breach potentially impacted files containing customers' personal information, such as Social Security numbers and health-related details.
Aflac said it is investigating the breach with the help of third-party cybersecurity experts and has not yet determined how many customers were affected. An Aflac spokesperson told Reuters that the characteristics of the incident were consistent with the hacking group Scattered Spider, which has a reputation for targeting multiple companies in a single industry in waves.
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It's the largest insurance provider yet to disclose a breach this month, after cyberattacks on Erie Insurance and Philadelphia Insurance Companies disrupted their network operations.
Aflac said the attack did not affect its systems and it is able to continue providing services as usual while it responds to the security breach.
Contributing: Reuters.
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.
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