Customers Warned of ID Theft after Ransomware Attack

Exploit: Ransomware Company: Arthur J. Gallagher Industry: Insurance Source: bleepingcomputer.com

Data breach notification letters are being mailed to individuals who may have been affected in a ransomware attack on insurance brokerage and risk management firm Arthur J. Gallagher.

A company spokesperson announced they are “working with the cybersecurity and forensic specialists to determine what may have happened and what information may have been affected, we determined that an unknown party accessed or acquired data contained within certain segments of our network between June 3, 2020, and September 26, 2020.”

The organization has not mentioned how the attack was carried out or whether threat actors had access to the network during the entire span or simply penetrated the network on separate occasions. The company did state they “promptly took all of our global systems offline as a precautionary measure, initiated response protocols, launched an investigation, engaged the services of external cybersecurity and forensics professionals, and implemented our business continuity plans to minimize disruption to our customers.”

Ensuing investigations have shown that exposed data may include PII such as social security numbers or tax ID numbers, driver’s license numbers, usernames and passwords, employee ID numbers, financial account or credit card info, electronic signatures, medical treatment, health insurance information, biometric information and more.

Data regulatory authorities and all potentially impacted individuals are now being notified by the company. They are also warning those affected of identity theft risks and to closely monitor accounts and credit reports.