Insurance administrative company ‘’Landmark Admin’ has been hit by a data breach that has compromised the sensitive data of 800,000 customers.
The data breach exposed massive amounts of personal information including social security numbers, full names, dates of birth, addresses, tax ID numbers, passport numbers, driving license numbers as well as medical information and policy numbers.
Landmark Admin confirmed that the initial breach was discovered in May and its systems were secured through the work of an external security team. However, the attackers were able to breach the system again in June and access more sensitive information.
Read: Cisco Investigates Data Breach After Stolen Data Appears Online
The third party admin company, Landmark Admin, works with massive insurance firms including American Monumental Life Insurance Company, American Benefit Life Insurance Company, Pellerin Life Insurance Company, Continental Mutual Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company, Capitol Life Insurance Company and Liberty Bankers
There is currently no confirmation on who was behind the attack, whether this was a lone hacker or a criminal gang. However, it is likely there was a ransom payment demanded. This tactic has become increasingly common in recent years, as cyber criminals exploit vulnerabilities in organizations' security systems to extort money.
What to do if your data has been leaked in the Landmark Admin Data Breach?
Having sensitive data is distressing. Landmark is contacting those whose data has been affected to confirm the breach as well as to offer credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.
Be aware that your information being compromised can make you a target for social engineering and phishing scams. These scams involve impersonating trusted organizations or individuals using information they already have about you as a result of the leak to convince you to hand over money or further details. Be skeptical of anyone asking you for information.
Update all passwords and enable multi-factor authentication on as many accounts as possible, especially social media accounts as well as banking and email.
Make sure you also keep a close eye on your bank and credit card statements for any unusual activity and report any suspicious transactions immediately and consider freezing your cards and credit.
The Landmark Admin data breach highlights the importance of employing robust cyber security measures across organizations of all sizes.
Organizations must invest in strong password policies, regular security audits, and employee training to mitigate the risk of cyber attacks.
Along with preventative measures organizations must have an incident response plan to ensure they can minimize the impact of a breach. This involves rapid detection and response to security incidents, containment of the breach to prevent further damage, eradication of the threat, recovery of affected systems and data, transparent communication with affected individuals and stakeholders, and adherence to legal and regulatory requirements.
