Sensitive personal data from Star Health and Allied Insurance has been leaked online.
Star Health and Allied Insurance is one of the biggest health insurers in India.
It includes medical reports, policy details, personal information, and more have been compromised.
Just a couple of weeks back, Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov was arrested over allegations that he did not restrict the misuse of his platform. And now, shocking news is coming in that sensitive personal data from India’s largest health insurer, Star Health and Allied Insurance has been leaked online. It is now easily available through Telegram chatbots.
Star Health and Allied Insurance is one of the biggest health insurers in India. A lot of Indians hold their insurance. Owing to this leak, user data that includes medical reports, policy details, identification documents, and personal information such as phone numbers and addresses has been compromised.
Commenting on the same, Star Health claimed that no widespread data breach has occurred. However, a UK-based security researcher Jason Parkor flagged this leak. The alleged creator of these chatbots, who goes by the name of “xenZen,” claims that they possess over 7 terabytes of stolen data from more than 31 million Star Health customers.
A Reuters report revealed that its journalists were able to download various sensitive files, including policy documents and medical diagnoses. This reveals the severity of this breach. Once this report came out, Telegram quickly took down the chatbots. But soon new ones emerged with the same data.
Now, Star Health has reported the breach to local authorities and the federal cyber security agency CERT-In. Users whose data was leaked have expressed their concerns. Many were even frustrated that the insurance company did not inform them about the data breach directly, according to Reuters. The issue again underlined how easily Telegram can be misused for illegal activities.
Do you think it is now time that strict action is taken against Telegram and it is held accountable for these things? What are your thoughts on this? Let me know in the comments.
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Mustafa Khan
Mustafa is a young tech journalist who tells it like it is, cutting through buzzwords to deliver straightforward smartphone reviews. He’s the office go-to for insider tips and quick demos, and his video content doesn’t waste anyone’s time. When he’s off the clock, he geeks out over cars, photography, and hunting down the best spot for Indian food. View Full Profile
