Insurance giant Globe Life says it's being extorted by hackers
However it claims there was no ransomware attack
· TechRadarNews By Sead Fadilpašić published 18 October 2024
American insurance giant Globe Life recently confirmed that cybercriminals tried to extort money in exchange for sensitive data they previously stole.
In mid-June 2024, the company reported a cybersecurity incident in which unknown third parties accessed sensitive customer data through one of its web portals.
It has now submitted a new 8-K form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), claiming the crooks accessed sensitive data on at least 5,000 customers - although the final number will probably be bigger, once the investigation concludes.
Not a ransomware attack
So far, the analysis has shown the information was taken from a subsidiary called American Income Life Insurance Company, and included personally identifiable information categories such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, postal addresses, and in some instances Social Security numbers, health-related data, and other policy information.
“The threat actor claims to possess additional categories of information, which claims remain under investigation and have not been verified,” the company said in the form, adding credit card and banking information was safe.
The data was not taken as part of a traditional ransomware attack. Globe Life’s systems were not encrypted, and the break-in did not result in the disruption of any services or operations. However, the crooks still tried to trade the data for money:
“Globe Life recently received communications from an unknown threat actor seeking to extort money from the Company in exchange for not disclosing certain information held and used by the Company and its independent agents,” the 8-K form further reads.
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