India's largest health insurer Star Health in the crosshairs of a cyberattack

Star Health, India's leading health insurer, faces a ransom demand of 68,000 US dollars following a hacker attack. This demand is accompanied by the release of customer data and medical records, plunging the company into a significant reputational and business crisis. The hacker used Telegram chatbots and a website to disclose the sensitive data of customers, including tax information and medical claims. These disclosures have led to an 11% drop in the company's stock price. Despite internal investigations and legal action against Telegram and the unknown hacker, the threat remains as customer data continues to be released. In a statement on Saturday, Star Health revealed that the extorter had already sent a ransom demand via email to the company's Managing Director and CEO in August. Despite ongoing internal investigations, no misconduct by Chief Security Officer Amarjeet Khanuja was found. Further complicating matters is the communication platform Telegram, which refuses to disclose the hacker's account details or even permanently suspend suspicious accounts. This hacker, known by the pseudonym xenZen, thus remains active in the digital underworld. Star Health has now sought the support of Indian cybersecurity authorities to identify the hacker. Despite a request, an official statement from Telegram is still pending. However, in the past, the Dubai-based company has already removed similar chatbots after Reuters highlighted them.