Is anyone safe from the malicious actions of cyber-criminals? It doesn’t look that way, and Anthem’s recent security breach may eclipse the invasion of privacy on Home Depot client records in terms of number of people directly affected.
We’re afraid to say this new attack makes North Korea’s bombardment of Sony’s database seem like a joke. Nearly 50,000 stolen Social Security numbers was a big deal, but I think we can all agree possibly intercepting the personal information of as many as 80 million former and current Anthem health insured is taking the game to the next level.
On the plus side, investigators believe actual medical records and financial details have stayed under lock and key for the duration of the system infiltration. Names, birthdays, home addresses, e-mails to Social Security numbers have been compromised, however. That last bit is sure to give a lot of people pause; it’s everything needed to commit ID theft.
And given the most popular passwords and PIN combinations, next to 1234 and 0000, remain dates easy to remember and familiar names, getting to your money should be a piece of cake for these skilled hackers. Not all is lost yet, though, with the FBI on the case, and no signs of illegally obtained data out in the open or on the black market.
There’s no word on what led to the raid, how well-protected all the sensitive information was to start with, or what methods the hackers used to gain unlawful access. We just know the attack was “sophisticated,” and that “customized” malicious software was involved, suggesting an “advanced” aggressor. Translation? It’s bad.
