The company has launched internal investigations and has taken legal action against Telegram. (File)
New Delhi: Star Health, India’s largest health insurer, said on Saturday it had received a $68,000 ransom demand from a cyber hacker in connection with a leak of customer data and medical records.
Star, which has a market cap of about $4 billion, has been battling a reputation and business crisis since Reuters reported on September 20 that a hacker had used a Telegram chatbot and a website to leak sensitive customer data, including tax details and medical claim papers.
The company, whose shares have fallen 11%, has launched an internal investigation and taken legal action against Telegram and the hacker, whose website continues to share samples of Star customer data.
Star, which had previously said it was a “victim of a targeted malicious cyber attack”, disclosed for the first time on Saturday that in August “the threat actor had demanded a ransom of $68,000 in an email addressed to the company’s managing director and its chief executive”.
The statement came after Indian stock exchanges on Friday sought clarification from Star over a Reuters report that said the company was investigating allegations of its chief security officer’s involvement in the data leak.
Star on Saturday reiterated that it had found no wrongdoing by the officer, Amarjeet Khanuja,
+although internal investigations are ongoing.
Star said on Saturday that Telegram has refused to share details of or permanently ban accounts linked to the hacker – a person it calls xenZen – “despite multiple notices being issued in this regard”.
Star said it has “sought assistance” from Indian cybersecurity authorities to “help identify” the hacker. Telegram did not respond to a request for comment.
The Dubai-based messenger app previously said it had removed the chatbots after Reuters flagged them on the platform.
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