New Delhi. Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited confirmed on Wednesday, October 9 that the company has been made the victim of a cyber attack. Under this attack, unauthorized and illegal access to some sensitive data was obtained. The company said in its official statement, “We acknowledge that we have been the victim of a targeted cyber attack, due to which illegal access to some data was obtained. But we would like to clearly state that there has been no impact on our operations and all services are continuing without any interruption.”
Star Health also informed that the matter is being investigated by an independent cyber security experts, and the company is working closely with the government and regulatory authorities. The company has informed Indian insurance and cyber security authorities about this cyber attack and has also filed a criminal complaint in this regard.
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Data theft and hacker claims
Recently news came out that a hacker has claimed to have leaked the data of more than 31 million customers of Star Health. This data includes PAN card details, home address and other personal information. The website, created by a hacker by the name of ‘xenZen’, has claimed that this data is available for sale for $150,000 (Rs 1.25 crore). The hacker has also alleged that he received this data directly from Star Health.
Court action and next steps
Star Health approached the Madras High Court and the court ordered all third parties to stop accessing this sensitive information. According to the company’s statement, “We are making continuous efforts to implement the court order.”
Cyber security and protection of sensitive data
Amarjeet Khanuja, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Star Health, has cooperated in the investigation, and so far no allegations of wrongdoing have been made against him. The company also said that unauthorized receipt, retention, or dissemination of any customer data is illegal, and requested all platforms to stop such activities and comply with the High Court order.
According to a Reuters report on September 20, 2024, Star Health’s customer data was publicly available through chatbots on Telegram. The company had said in its first statement that there was no widespread data compromise and that sensitive customer data was safe. However, now the situation has become worrying because the hacker has planned to sell the data.
Tags: business news, Cyber attack
FIRST PUBLISHED: October 9, 2024, 23:30 IST