In what is being termed one of the biggest cyber incidents in French history, Viamedis and Almerys, two key players responsible for managing third-party payments for supplementary health insurance, have recently fallen victim to a cyberattack.
This Viamedis and Almerys data breach has compromised the personal data of approximately 33 million individuals, stirring concerns about privacy and security across the nation.
The Almerys and Viamedis data breach, which came to light at the end of January, has sparked widespread concerns as it involves sensitive information about the French people.
This information includes social security numbers, details about civil status, date of birth, health insurer’s name, and policy coverage for both the insured and their family members.
Viamedis and Almerys Data Breach
Contrary to initial fears, certain sensitive information such as banking details, medical records, and contact information like postal addresses and phone numbers, are reportedly unaffected by the Viamedis and Almerys data breach, according to statements from both the CNIL (the French data protection authority) and Viamedis.
It appears that the cyberattack was executed through the compromise of credentials and passwords belonging to healthcare professionals.
Viamedis first detected the breach on February 1st and promptly alerted other third-party payment platforms. Shortly thereafter, Almerys, another major operator in the field, also announced a similar intrusion into its systems.
Despite the severity of the breach, other third-party payment platforms have not reported any breaches at this time, suggesting that the cyberattack specifically targeted Viamedis and Almerys.
The impact of the Almerys and Viamedis Data Breach
The implications of this Almerys and Viamedis data breach are profound, given the vast scale of the affected population and the sensitivity of the compromised data.
With 33 million French citizens potentially exposed, authorities are scrambling to understand the extent of the damage and identify the perpetrators behind the attack.
Of particular concern is the risk of identity theft and phishing attacks, given the exposure of social security numbers.
The CNIL has warned that the stolen data could potentially be combined with information from previous breaches, enabling cybercriminals to impersonate individuals and engage in fraudulent activities such as applying for loans or conducting financial transactions under pretenses.
“Given the scale of the violation, the president of the CNIL decided to very quickly carry out investigations in order to determine in particular whether the security measures implemented prior to the incident and in reaction to it were appropriate with regard to the GDPR obligations”, reads the translated notification.
As investigations into the cyberattack continue, there are urgent calls for enhanced cybersecurity measures and stricter protocols to safeguard sensitive personal information.
This is an ongoing story and The Cyber Express will be closely monitoring the situation. We’ll update this post once we have more information about the Almerys and Viamedis data breach.
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