The U.S. network of Aflac detected suspicious activity which potentially exposed Social Security numbers and other sensitive personal information according to the company’s Friday announcement.
The Georgia-based insurer stopped the breach within a short period of time but continues to assess the complete extent of the incident. The breach exposed claims and health records together with personal information from customers and their beneficiaries and employees and agents.
The services continue to operate but Aflac provides two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection and medical shield coverage to all affected individuals who reach out to their call center.
The cyberattack seems to be part of an ongoing cybercrime operation which focuses on insurance industry targets. The investigation into the incident remains in its initial phase as Aflac has not validated the number of affected individuals.
Financial services firms face increasing cybersecurity threats because they store extensive amounts of personal information. The recent targeted breaches have forced Aflac to join other companies which work to rebuild customer trust while enhancing their defensive measures.
