Dive Brief:
- Premera Blue Cross announced on Tuesday that it has been the victim of a cyberattack that exposed the medical and financial data of 11 million consumers.
- The attack, which began in May of 2014, exposed claims data, clinical information, banking and Social Security numbers, birth dates and other information.
- Healthcare security expert Dave Kennedy told Reuters that this is the largest breach to date involving medical information.
Dive Insight:
This breach was discovered on January 29, the same day that Anthem disclosed its historic breach, although Premera Blue Cross says it uncovered the attack independently and that the two intrusions are not connected. According to Kennedy, it's likely that as the number of attacks coming to light grows, more companies will be prompted to investigate their own operations—and will likely find breaches.
"I think other insurance providers are compromised today and we still don't know it," Kennedy told Reuters. "More and more are going to disclose attacks."
The breach impacted Premera Blue Cross, Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska and affiliate brands Vivacity and Connexion Insurance Solutions.