American Family Insurance has confirmed it has suffered a cyberattack and was forced to take parts of its systems offline after customers reported website outages last week.
American Family Insurance (AmFam) is an insurance company that offers property, casualty, auto and life insurance, as well as retirement plans.
According to BleepingComputer, American Family Insurance confirmed that it detected unusual activity on its network and shut down the systems to prevent the spread of the cyberattack.
“This week, American Family Insurance’s technology teams detected unusual activity on a portion of our network. We quickly took proactive measures to protect data and resources and shut down multiple business systems”an AmFam spokesperson told BleepingComputer.
“We recognize that system outages affect customers, agents, and employees and appreciate their patience and understanding.“.
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The company explained that it is conducting an investigation, having sought the assistance of internal and external cybersecurity experts .At this time, no breach has been identified in any critical business systems, processing or storing customer data. The company also said that many systems continue to operate without problems.
American Family Insurance shuts down some systems after cyberattack
Since last week, American Family Insurance has been experiencing issues affecting the company's phone service, building connectivity and online services . There also appear to be issues with the internet connection.
Customers began reporting that they were unable to pay bills (or do other things). When they tried to pay, they would see a message saying that the website was down and directing them to contact them by phone.
"We are currently experiencing a service outage. You can call 1-800-692-6326," a message on AmFam's website said.
“If you are unable to make a payment, you can do so when the system is back up, without any charge. We appreciate your patience and understanding“.
Similarly, trying to pay a bill as a guest displays an error: “The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance or capacity issues. Please try again later.”
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It's unclear what type of attack American Family Insurance suffered, but it looks like a ransomware attack.
Many of these attacks occur on the weekend (like the one that started at the insurance company last weekend) when fewer employees are monitoring the network.
Ransomware gangs often target large businesses to increase their chances of receiving the ransom they demand.
Actions to prevent a ransomware attack
Informing staff about the ransomware threat is essential, as human error often undermines security, driven by a lack of awareness.
backup is another crucial aspect in dealing with ransomware. Effective data storage can help in recovering it, without having to pay the attacker for a decryption key.
See also: The use of QR codes in phishing attacks is increasing
It is also essential to avoid opening suspicious emails with attachments and links.
Finally, frequently systems your and use a reliable antivirus program.
In summary, dealing with a ransomware requires a combination of preventive measures, including vigilance, user education, data protection with backups, and the use of security.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
