Anthem, one of the largest American health insurers, says it was the victim of a “very sophisticated” external cyber attack.
The attackers gained unauthorized access to the company’s IT system and obtained personal information from its current and former members such as their names, birthdays, medical IDs/social security numbers, street addresses, email addresses and employment information, including income data.
Anthem had about 37.5 million medical members at the end of last year.
“Based on what we know now, there is no evidence that credit card or medical information, such as claims, test results or diagnostic codes were targeted or compromised,” says president and CEO Joseph R. Swedish.
Once the attack was discovered, Anthem says it immediately made every effort to close the security vulnerability, contacted the FBI, and began fully cooperating with its investigation.
The insurer plans to notify current and former members whose information has been accessed.
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