Attackers claim 150,000 compromised American Income Life accounts

Hackers have posted on a leak forum the data of about 150,000 customers of the insurance company AIL (American Income Life), including names, dates of birth, addresses, contacts and insurance policy information. The data appeared on one of the popular hacking platforms where stolen information is sold or exchanged. The author of the post claims that the records were obtained directly from the insurance company’s website.

AIL is based in Texas and is a subsidiary of Globe Life Inc., which generates more than 5.7 billion $ in revenue annually. Although the company has not yet confirmed the incident, researchers have verified the provided data sample and found it authentic.

According to experts, the database contains full names, dates of birth, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail, as well as insurance policy statuses. Such information can be used for:

• identity theft;

• opening fraudulent accounts;

• lowering credit scores;

• targeted phishing attacks.

Medical and biometric data are particularly valuable to cybercriminals, as unlike passwords or bank cards, they cannot be “replaced.”

This is not the first time that health and insurance information has been compromised. Last week, the Brain Cipher group attacked the Baltimore Medical System, and in late August, the data of almost half a million US doctors was leaked. Such attacks demonstrate the persistent interest of hackers in insurance and medical organizations, where confidential records have a high black market value.

The AIL data leak once again confirms that insurance companies remain at the forefront of cyber threats. If confirmed, this could become one of the biggest incidents of the year in the insurance sector. Customers are advised to monitor their accounts, avoid suspicious emails and check their credit history.