Hack of Aflac potentially affected more than 22 million people, company says

A cybersecurity breach of Columbus-based insurance giant Aflac Inc. potentially exposed the personal information of approximately 22.65 million people, the company said in a statement last week.

The affected files included names, contact information, claims information, health information, Social Security numbers, and/or other personal information, according to the company.

In early June, Aflac, a multinational Fortune 500 company that focuses on supplemental health insurance for medical expenses not covered by a primary provider, detected suspicious activity within some of the networks of its U.S. business. It said it stopped the attack within hours.

“To date, Aflac is not aware of any fraudulent use of personal information and — along with third-party partners — will continue to monitor any fraudulent activity,” the company said in its statement.

The insurance giant is offering free credit monitoring, identity theft protection, medical fraud protection and customer support for 24 months.

Aflac said the attack was caused by a sophisticated cybercrime group and was part of a campaign against the insurance industry. At least three other insurance firms — Allianz Life, Erie Insurance and Philadelphia Insurance Companies — suffered similar hacks this summer.

Aflac discovered the security breach June 12, which involved the unauthorized group using “social engineering tactics” to gain access to Aflac’s network, the company said in a statement at the time.