Globe Life Inc. (GL, Financial) has disclosed a cybersecurity incident involving an extortion attempt by an unknown threat actor. The company reported that it received communications from the threat actor demanding money in exchange for not disclosing sensitive information held by Globe Life and its independent agents.
Upon discovering the threat, Globe Life promptly activated its incident response plan, enlisting the help of experienced legal counsel and external cybersecurity experts to conduct a thorough investigation. The company has also reported the extortion attempt to federal law enforcement and is actively cooperating with authorities.
Preliminary findings from the ongoing investigation suggest that the compromised data may pertain to certain customers and leads associated with Globe Life's subsidiary, American Income Life Insurance Company. The potentially exposed information includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, postal addresses, and, in some cases, Social Security numbers, health-related data, and other policy details for approximately 5,000 individuals. However, the full extent of the data breach and the total number of affected individuals have yet to be confirmed. Importantly, the compromised data does not appear to include financial information such as credit card or banking details.
The threat actor has reportedly shared information about a limited number of individuals with short sellers and plaintiffs’ attorneys, and claims to possess additional data categories, which are still under investigation and unverified.
Globe Life has assured stakeholders that the extortion attempts have not involved ransomware nor have they disrupted the company's systems, services, or business operations. The company is committed to notifying affected individuals, taking necessary protective measures, and maintaining communication with regulatory authorities.
As of the latest filing, Globe Life believes the incident has not materially impacted its operations and does not anticipate any significant effect on its financial condition or results of operations.
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