Anthem Blue Cross has sent letters informing 230,000 members that their personal information might have been accessed during a recent security breach of the company's website, the Orange County Register reports.
The breach affected members who had pending insurance applications in an Anthem system that allows users to track the status of their application online.
Anthem spokesperson Cynthia Sanders said the information was accessed briefly, primarily by attorneys seeking information for a class-action lawsuit against the insurer. Sanders said Anthem sent the letters out of "an abundance of caution," adding that it is unclear how many records were viewed.
Follow-Up Action
According to Anthem, the attorneys have returned all improperly obtained information to a custodian of the court system.
Anthem is offering affected customers one year of no-cost identity protection services.
The company added that it has addressed security issues to prevent similar incidents in the future (Perkes, Orange County Register, 6/23).