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Massive Data Breach At Health Insurer Anthem Reveals Social Security Numbers And More
Forbes ^ | 2-5-15

Posted on 02/05/2015 5:38:51 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic

Today, Anthem Inc., the second largest health insurer in America revealed that hackers broke into the company’s servers and stole social security numbers and other personal information. This is a massive data breach with the potential to expose the information of nearly 80 million Anthem customers and has the potential to be the largest health care related data breach in history. The company notes that accounts associated with Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Amerigroup, Caremore, Unicare, Healthlink, and DeCare were all part of the data breach.

In an email the company said:

“Anthem Blue Cross was the target of a very sophisticated external cyber attack. These attackers gained unauthorized access to Anthem’s IT system and have obtained personal information from our current and former members such as their names, birthdays, medical IDs/social security numbers, street addresses, email addresses and employment information, including income data. 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.
After discovering the data breach the company contacted law enforcement, and has stated that they are working with the FBI and cooperating in their investigation. Anthem also stated that they have retained cybersecurity firm Mandiant to evaluate their systems.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aarp; abortion; amerigroup; anthem; anthembluecross; bcbsm; caremore; cyberattack; databreach; deathpanels; decare; healthlink; identityfraud; obamacare; socialsecurity; unicare; zerocare
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1 posted on 02/05/2015 5:38:51 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Anthem manages the AARP Medigap insurance plans!


2 posted on 02/05/2015 5:39:27 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

It will be interesting to see once they reveal the locations of who made the hack.

It’s a sorry state of affairs in this nation when the first thing I think of is “false flag”...


3 posted on 02/05/2015 5:46:20 AM PST by Old Sarge (Its the Sixties all over again, but with crappy music...)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

4 years ago Columbia Presbyterian settled with HHS for $4.8m following the release of 6600 records under HIPAA. At $705/case, this would mean $56.4T fine for this HIPAA violation.


4 posted on 02/05/2015 5:53:28 AM PST by Stonewall1
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To: afraidfortherepublic
CyberSecurity is a great field to go into. There is an enormous need for it, the need will only grow, and on the whole, neither government nor business has a really good handle on it. Such a huge hole that needs to be filled.

And it's somewhat unlikely that the security work will be off-shored to China or anywhere else.

5 posted on 02/05/2015 5:59:10 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (The dog days are over /The dog days are done/Can you hear the horses? /'Cause here they come)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Oh Shiite!


6 posted on 02/05/2015 6:00:57 AM PST by Dubh_Ghlase
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To: Stonewall1

damn neart real money.


7 posted on 02/05/2015 6:01:15 AM PST by Lurkina.n.Learnin (It's a shame nobama truly doesn't care about any of this. Our country, our future, he doesn't care)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Most of the time somebody bribes an employee for a password. Not really high tech at all.


8 posted on 02/05/2015 6:03:23 AM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: Stonewall1
"4 years ago Columbia Presbyterian settled with HHS for $4.8m following the release of 6600 records under HIPAA. At $705/case, this would mean $56.4T fine for this HIPAA violation."

Hospitals and health insurers maintain "liability" insurance to cover expenses and penalties regarding data breaches. Aside from meeting minimal safeguards required by the insurance underwriters, many entities consider this just a normal cost of doing business and make no great effort to secure their data bases. That costs more money than buying the insurance coverage. Welcome to the brave new world -- all your data are belong to us!

9 posted on 02/05/2015 6:03:38 AM PST by buckalfa (First time listener, long time caller.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Why do all our activities in life revolve around a number that is held by multiple third parties that are linked to our financial accounts?


10 posted on 02/05/2015 6:04:18 AM PST by crusty old prospector
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To: ClearCase_guy

I have said for years the cloud is a farce. If you don’t physically control your data it is not your data.


11 posted on 02/05/2015 6:32:03 AM PST by Resolute Conservative
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To: Resolute Conservative
Agree 100%.

BTW -- the US military is actively moving to put more of their mission critical data in the cloud. But don't worry. They're gonna be super careful. [/s]

12 posted on 02/05/2015 6:34:23 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (The dog days are over /The dog days are done/Can you hear the horses? /'Cause here they come)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

80 million people? That’s almost one out of every four Americans, nationwide. And with 0bamacare’s level of cybersecurity, why even bother?


13 posted on 02/05/2015 6:39:20 AM PST by W. (All politics is local--as is political corruption, bottom to top!)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Nothing is secure. Nothing will ever be secure.


14 posted on 02/05/2015 6:42:55 AM PST by bgill (CDC site, "we still do not know exactly how people are infected with Ebola")
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To: bgill

Do you have any naked X-rays of your wife? Want to buy some?


15 posted on 02/05/2015 6:47:33 AM PST by oldasrocks (They should lock all of you up and only let out us properly medicated people.)
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To: crusty old prospector

So we can be easily controlled by fear.

We are to be reduced to nothing BUT a number.

What would happen if we didn’t have a number?

Are we free and independent?


16 posted on 02/05/2015 6:55:19 AM PST by ecomcon
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To: crusty old prospector

Yeah...I’ve asked for years why SS# gets used for so many different things....would it be so hard to have an account number??


17 posted on 02/05/2015 6:57:37 AM PST by goodnesswins (I think we've reached PEAK TYRANNY now.....)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

The next time someone recommends using the internet for voting and doing away with paper ballots share this link with them


18 posted on 02/05/2015 6:59:32 AM PST by Personal Responsibility (Changing the name of a thing doesn't change the thing. A liberal or a rose by any other name...)
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To: Dubh_Ghlase
Anthem manages the AARP Medigap insurance plans!

What the hell!

19 posted on 02/05/2015 7:00:34 AM PST by Las Vegas Dave (The democ"RAT"ic party preys on the ignorant..!)
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To: ecomcon

20 posted on 02/05/2015 7:04:58 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (The dog days are over /The dog days are done/Can you hear the horses? /'Cause here they come)
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