Star Well being, India’s greatest well being insurer, on Saturday mentioned it had acquired a ransom demand of $68,000 from a cyberhacker in reference to a leak of buyer knowledge and medical information.
Star, which has a roughly $four billion market cap, is battling a reputational and enterprise disaster since Reuters reported on Sept. 20 {that a} hacker had used Telegram chatbots and an internet site to leak clients’ delicate knowledge, together with tax particulars and medical declare papers.
The corporate, whose shares have declined 11%, has launched inner investigations and has taken authorized motion in opposition to Telegram and the hacker, whose web site continues to share samples of Star clients’ knowledge.
Star, which has beforehand mentioned it’s a “sufferer of a focused malicious cyberattack“, on Saturday revealed for the primary time that in August “the menace actor demanded a ransom of $68,000 in an e mail” addressed to the corporate’s managing director and its chief govt.
The assertion got here after Indian shares exchanges sought clarifications from Star on a Friday over a Reuters report that the corporate was investigating allegations that its chief safety officer was concerned within the knowledge leak.
Star reiterated on Saturday it has discovered no wrongdoing by the official, Amarjeet Khanuja, although the inner investigation is ongoing.
Telegram has declined to share the account particulars or completely ban accounts linked to the hacker – a person dubbed xenZen – “regardless of a number of notices issued on this regard,” Star mentioned on Saturday.
Star mentioned it has “sought the help” of Indian cyber safety authorities to “assist us determine” the hacker.
Telegram didn’t reply to a request for remark.
The Dubai-based messenger app has beforehand mentioned it eliminated the chatbots when Reuters flagged them to the platform.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
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