NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — A hacker, who gained unauthorized access to sensitive information on customers of India’s Star Health, including personal details and medical records in the data breach, has demanded a ransom of $68,000 from India’s biggest health insurer.
The breach involved over 31 million customers, and it came to light toward the end of September. The hacker, who uses the pseudonym xenZen, leaked the information via Telegram chatbots, demanding the ransom through email. Star Health is conducting a forensic probe into the incident and working closely with regulatory authorities.
After the breach, Star Health initiated legal suits and also filed a case in the Madras High Court, which would cut off any access to the leaked data. The company claims that its cybersecurity team is doing hard work to protect the customer information.
This data breach hits Star Health, valued at $4 billion, the worst and raises major queries with regard to the data privacy of India’s insurance sectors.
The hacker accused a senior Star Health official of facilitating the leak, though this claim has not been confirmed by the company, which continues to investigate.
