What happened in the Anthem data breach?
Twingate Team
•
May 24, 2024
In February 2015, one of the USA's largest health insurers, Anthem, experienced a significant data breach. The incident involved unauthorized access to the company's IT system, which contained a vast amount of sensitive information collected from millions of policyholders. The breach was discovered in January 2015, and it was later revealed that the cyberattack had taken place in late 2014. The incident had a substantial impact on Anthem, resulting in considerable recovery costs and legal expenses.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach impacted data related to approximately 80 million individuals.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included Social Security numbers, birth dates, income data, street addresses, email addresses, and employment information, such as job titles and employers.
How was Anthem hacked?
Cyber attackers infiltrated Anthem's IT system through spear phishing emails sent to an Anthem subsidiary, gaining unauthorized access to sensitive consumer information. The breach was discovered by a database administrator who noticed his credentials were being used without his knowledge or consent. Between December 2, 2014, and January 27, 2015, the attackers stole electronic protected health information (ePHI) of almost 80 million individuals, making it the largest health data breach in U.S. history.
Anthem's solution
In response to the sophisticated cyberattack, Anthem took several measures to enhance security and prevent future incidents. They informed federal authorities of the breach, hired a cybersecurity firm to investigate the attack and develop preventive measures, and sent email notices to affected customers. Anthem also agreed to pay a record $16 million HIPAA settlement and implemented a robust corrective action plan to comply with HIPAA Rules. This plan included conducting an enterprise-wide risk analysis, regularly reviewing information system activity, identifying and responding to suspected or known security incidents, and implementing adequate minimum access controls.
How do I know if I was affected?
Anthem reached out to affected users by sending email notices. If you believe you may have been impacted by the Anthem breach and did not receive a notification, you can visit Have I Been Pwned to check if your credentials were affected.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached account. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity and report any unauthorized transactions or changes immediately.
For more specific help and instructions related to Anthem's data breach, please contact Anthem's support directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the Anthem data breach, check out the following news articles:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
What happened in the Anthem data breach?
Twingate Team
•
May 24, 2024
In February 2015, one of the USA's largest health insurers, Anthem, experienced a significant data breach. The incident involved unauthorized access to the company's IT system, which contained a vast amount of sensitive information collected from millions of policyholders. The breach was discovered in January 2015, and it was later revealed that the cyberattack had taken place in late 2014. The incident had a substantial impact on Anthem, resulting in considerable recovery costs and legal expenses.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach impacted data related to approximately 80 million individuals.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included Social Security numbers, birth dates, income data, street addresses, email addresses, and employment information, such as job titles and employers.
How was Anthem hacked?
Cyber attackers infiltrated Anthem's IT system through spear phishing emails sent to an Anthem subsidiary, gaining unauthorized access to sensitive consumer information. The breach was discovered by a database administrator who noticed his credentials were being used without his knowledge or consent. Between December 2, 2014, and January 27, 2015, the attackers stole electronic protected health information (ePHI) of almost 80 million individuals, making it the largest health data breach in U.S. history.
Anthem's solution
In response to the sophisticated cyberattack, Anthem took several measures to enhance security and prevent future incidents. They informed federal authorities of the breach, hired a cybersecurity firm to investigate the attack and develop preventive measures, and sent email notices to affected customers. Anthem also agreed to pay a record $16 million HIPAA settlement and implemented a robust corrective action plan to comply with HIPAA Rules. This plan included conducting an enterprise-wide risk analysis, regularly reviewing information system activity, identifying and responding to suspected or known security incidents, and implementing adequate minimum access controls.
How do I know if I was affected?
Anthem reached out to affected users by sending email notices. If you believe you may have been impacted by the Anthem breach and did not receive a notification, you can visit Have I Been Pwned to check if your credentials were affected.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached account. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity and report any unauthorized transactions or changes immediately.
For more specific help and instructions related to Anthem's data breach, please contact Anthem's support directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the Anthem data breach, check out the following news articles:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
What happened in the Anthem data breach?
Twingate Team
•
May 24, 2024
In February 2015, one of the USA's largest health insurers, Anthem, experienced a significant data breach. The incident involved unauthorized access to the company's IT system, which contained a vast amount of sensitive information collected from millions of policyholders. The breach was discovered in January 2015, and it was later revealed that the cyberattack had taken place in late 2014. The incident had a substantial impact on Anthem, resulting in considerable recovery costs and legal expenses.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach impacted data related to approximately 80 million individuals.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included Social Security numbers, birth dates, income data, street addresses, email addresses, and employment information, such as job titles and employers.
How was Anthem hacked?
Cyber attackers infiltrated Anthem's IT system through spear phishing emails sent to an Anthem subsidiary, gaining unauthorized access to sensitive consumer information. The breach was discovered by a database administrator who noticed his credentials were being used without his knowledge or consent. Between December 2, 2014, and January 27, 2015, the attackers stole electronic protected health information (ePHI) of almost 80 million individuals, making it the largest health data breach in U.S. history.
Anthem's solution
In response to the sophisticated cyberattack, Anthem took several measures to enhance security and prevent future incidents. They informed federal authorities of the breach, hired a cybersecurity firm to investigate the attack and develop preventive measures, and sent email notices to affected customers. Anthem also agreed to pay a record $16 million HIPAA settlement and implemented a robust corrective action plan to comply with HIPAA Rules. This plan included conducting an enterprise-wide risk analysis, regularly reviewing information system activity, identifying and responding to suspected or known security incidents, and implementing adequate minimum access controls.
How do I know if I was affected?
Anthem reached out to affected users by sending email notices. If you believe you may have been impacted by the Anthem breach and did not receive a notification, you can visit Have I Been Pwned to check if your credentials were affected.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached account. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity and report any unauthorized transactions or changes immediately.
For more specific help and instructions related to Anthem's data breach, please contact Anthem's support directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the Anthem data breach, check out the following news articles:
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