In one of the largest data breaches in corporate history Anthem medical insurers lost the information of more than 80 million customers including the company’s CEO. The information stolen includes names, birthdays, medical IDs, Social Security numbers, street addresses, email addresses and employment information and income data.
Anthem is the second-largest health insurer in the United States. The company offers insurance plans that include Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Amerigroup and Healthlink.
The company reported it has found no evidence that credit card or medical information was compromised. While damage is still being assessed, the compromised database contained up to 80 million customer records.
Anthem has promised to notify all current and former customers individually if their data has been stolen. The company began the process notifying customers of the breach as early as late Wednesday. Customers affected by the breach will receive free credit monitoring and identity protection services.
In a statement company CEO Joseph Swedish admitted that his information was also lost in the data breach. “Anthem’s own associates’ personal information, including my own, was accessed during this security breach. We join you 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.”
According to the company the breach resulted from a “very sophisticated external cyber attack,” and added that law enforcement agencies were investigating to identify the perpetrator. The company has hired Mandiant, a leading cybersecurity firm, to help in the investigation.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said that it was aware of the intrusion and was investigating the matter.
Anthem has created a website for its current and former customers to get information about the incident at www.AnthemFacts.com. They can also call 877-263-7995.
