Star Health, one of India’s leading health insurance providers, has confirmed that it fell victim to a cyberattack that compromised certain data. The breach was initially reported last month; however, the company chose to withhold comments pending an internal investigation. It has since filed a formal complaint with law enforcement and notified relevant insurance and cybersecurity regulatory bodies. Reports indicate that hackers utilized Telegram chatbots to disseminate the compromised information.
Star Health Acknowledges Data Breach
The company confirmed in a statement to TechCrunch that it had indeed experienced a data breach. This admission comes nearly two weeks after the initial reports surfaced. Star Health, based in Chennai, noted that hackers accessed “certain data,” but did not disclose whether any specific customer details were compromised.
A forensic investigation is currently underway, led by independent cybersecurity experts, according to Star Health. The firm is coordinating closely with government and regulatory agencies throughout the investigation process. Authorities in cybersecurity and regulatory sectors have been informed of the situation, as stated by the company.
Last month’s cyber assault on Star Health reportedly resulted in a significant breach that compromised personal information of approximately 31 million policyholders, alongside more than 5.8 million insurance claims. Subsequent reports revealed that this data was leaked through the messaging service Telegram.
Hackers are believed to have employed autonomous chatbots on the platform to facilitate the data leak. The exposed information reportedly included personal details such as names, phone numbers, addresses, tax identification numbers, copies of ID cards, test results, and medical diagnoses.
In the aftermath, Star Health initiated legal action against Telegram for allegedly aiding in the dissemination of sensitive data. The Madras High Court has mandated that the messaging platform block any associated chatbots and websites in India that have made the compromised data publicly accessible. Additionally, Star Health has lodged a complaint against Cloudflare for its role in providing services to websites hosting the leaked information.
