The discovery of unauthorized access to MCNA Insurance Company’s systems occurred on March 6th 2023, although the initial breach had taken place as early as February 26th 2023.
MCNA Insurance Company, a prominent US-based dental benefits manager serving millions of individuals, recently fell victim to a significant data breach.
The breach, which persisted for nearly two weeks from late February 2023 to early March 2023, exposed highly sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers, driver’s license details, and government IDs belonging to millions of clients.
This breach has also raised grave concerns regarding potential identity theft, fraudulent activities, and unauthorized access to financial accounts. It is worth noting that just a few days ago, Apria, another US-based healthcare service, disclosed a major data breach that impacted over 1.8 million users.
The discovery of unauthorized access to MCNA Insurance Company’s systems occurred on March 6th 2023, although the initial breach had taken place as early as February 26th 2023. The cybercriminals managed to infiltrate specific systems and successfully extract copies of personal information from MCNA’s network.
The compromised data encompasses comprehensive details such as full names, dates of birth, residential addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers or government IDs, health insurance information, and dental care records. It is crucial to note that not all data elements were compromised for every affected individual.
As per the information shared by MCNA with the Maine Attorney General, an estimated nine million people have been impacted by this breach, encompassing both current and former clients.
The breach carries significant risks, as cybercriminals can exploit the stolen personal information for a wide array of fraudulent activities, including identity theft, phishing attacks, unauthorized credit account openings, fraudulent purchases, and securing loans under false pretences.
The company’s individual notice letter stated, “In response to this incident, we have enhanced our security controls and monitoring practices as appropriate to minimize the risk of any similar incident in the future.”
MCNA Insurance Company has taken immediate measures to address the breach and mitigate its impact on affected individuals. The company has notified the affected users and is committed to providing credit monitoring services to protect against potential identity theft.
Furthermore, MCNA advises breach victims to carefully review their credit reports and account activities, ensuring the accuracy of all transactions. Any suspicious charges should be promptly reported to the respective account-holding institutions.
