Athira Sethu
Kochi, 20 September 2024
Hackers leaked information regarding millions of Indian insurer-Star Health’s customers through Telegram chatbots, according to a report by Reuters.
The active chats were discovered by UK-based security researcher Jason Parker, who says he found them active since at least on August 6. They are identified as “by xenZen.”
Parker posed as an armchair buyer on the hacker forum and managed to get some information from a user, xenZen, who stated that he or she did have access to 7.24 terabytes of data related to over 31 million customers of Star Health. These are medical reports and personal details accessible through chatbots on Telegram.
Star Health has already reported this unauthorized access to local authorities. The company claimed in their statement that no widespread compromise occurred, but initial reports have shown some data were leaked. Users could download all documents that contain patients’ names, phone numbers, addresses, tax information, ID card copies, medical test results, and diagnoses.
Safety Issue in Telegram
Telegram has registered 900 million users who use the application since they can make their chatbots customizable. This has allowed criminals to breach the application. Recently, Telegram’s owner in France was arrested and questioned on the platform’s policies.
The reports indicate that sensitive data, including some medical records, can be accessed publicly through these chatbots.
This incident has again highlighted the danger of data security in the digital age, where hackers now discover that stolen information is much easier to spread through platforms like Telegram.
