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Cyber Security
Premera Blue Cross Cyber Attack
Premera Blue Cross has suffered a cyber attack. What’s the single most important thing to know?
Premera announced yesterday that they were the subject of a “sophisticated cyber-attack” affecting millions of members and employees. They have created a very detailed webpage with an overview of the attack, a “Frequently Asked Questions” section, and details of free credit monitoring provided by Experian.
What’s the most important piece of information on this website? It’s actually the very last “Frequently Asked Question” which highlights a sad reality associated with cyberattacks: other criminals will take further advantage of the victims by using this situation to trick them into revealing personal information over the internet.
Here is the text from that FAQ which gives critical advice on what you should NOT do in response to this situation:
FAQ: Did Premera send me an email about this attack?
Premera will not email members regarding this attack. You should be aware that you may receive scam and phishing emails claiming to be from Premera. If you receive an email claiming to be related to this attack that appears to be from Premera we recommend you take the following steps:
DO NOT reply to the email or reach out to the senders in any way.
DO NOT enter any information on any website that may open, if you have clicked on a link in the email.
DO NOT open any attachments that arrive with email.
These kind of attacks can happen to any company. Contact your broker for Cyber Liability and Data Breach Expense insurance which alleviates much of the cost of both cyber attacks and also the accidental loss of sensitive data.
