Star Health and Allied Insurance, India's largest health insurance provider, was the victim of a data breach via a chatbot on the Telegram app , exposing sensitive information of more than 31 million customers.
The breach raises serious concerns about data security and misuse of technology platforms. UK-based cyber researcher Jason Parker discovered the breach and alerted Reuters to chatbots offering access to Star Health customer data. The stolen information includes names, phone numbers, addresses, tax information, copies of IDs, medical diagnoses and test results.
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The data is available for free in limited quantities, but can also be purchased in large quantities, reaching 7.24 terabytes. The creator of these chatbots uses the pseudonym “xenZen” and is active on hacker. “I have sensitive data of all Star Health India customers and their insurance claims. This leak is funded by Star Health and Allied Insurance Company, which sold me this data directly,” said xenZen.
Despite Telegram’s efforts to remove these chatbots after the alert, new ones are quickly resurfacing, highlighting the challenges in policing such illegal activities on the platform. Star Health told Reuters that “an unknown person contacted it on August 13, claiming to have accessed some of its data.” The insurer reported the matter to the Tamil Nadu state cybercrime department and the federal cybersecurity agency CERT-In.
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The company says its initial assessment did not reveal a “widespread compromise” and assures customers that their privacy remains a top priority. However, affected customers, including Sandeep TS and Pankaj Subhash Malhotra, have expressed concern about the breach, confirming the authenticity of the leaked documents regarding their medical records, but have not been notified by Star Health of any security breach.
This incident comes amid growing scrutiny of Telegram’s content moderation practices. Telegram founder Pavel Durovwas recently arrested in France on charges related to facilitating criminal activity on the platform.
Read also: Telegram – Pavel Durov breaks his silence two weeks after his arrest
As new chatbots offering stolen data continue to emerge, it is evident that stricter safeguards are needed to protect sensitive customer information from cyberattacks.
Source: cybersecuritynews
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