Star Health says it received a $68,000 ransom demand after the data breach

Star Health, India’s largest health insurer, said on Saturday it had received a $68,000 ransom demand from a hacker in connection with a leak of customer data and medical records.

Star, which has a market capitalization of roughly $4 billion, has been battling a reputational and business crisis since Reuters reported on Sept. 20 that a hacker had used Telegram chatbots and a website to exfiltrate sensitive customer data, including tax details and medical claim documents.

The company, whose shares are down 11%, has launched internal investigations and legal action against Telegram and the hacker, whose website continues to share samples of Star customer data.

Star, which has previously said it is the “victim of a targeted malicious cyberattack,” first revealed on Saturday that in August “the threat actor demanded a ransom of $68,000 in an email” addressed to the general manager of the company and his boss. executive

The statement came after Indian stock exchanges sought clarification from Star on Friday about a Reuters report that the company was investigating allegations that its chief security officer was involved in the data breach.

The Star reiterated on Saturday that it has found no wrongdoing by the official, Amarjeet Khanuja, although the internal investigation is ongoing. Telegram has refused to share account details or permanently ban accounts linked to the hacker – an individual named xenZen – “despite multiple warnings issued to that effect,” Star said on Saturday. Star said it has “requested the assistance” of Indian cyber security authorities to “help us identify” the hacker.

Telegram did not respond to a request for comment.

The Dubai-based messaging app has previously said it removed chatbots when Reuters flagged them on the platform.