Hacker Uses Telegram Bots to Leak Data from Top Indian Insurer Star Health

Sensitive customer data belonging to Star Health and Allied Insurance, India’s largest standalone health insurer, has been openly exposed via chatbots on the hacking Telegram messaging app.

The leak of data includes medical reports, policy details, and even personal information and was discovered by a security researcher who later pointed out the issue to Reuters. The telegram messenger hack was linked to chatbots, supposedly developed by a character named “xenZen,” which opened the floodgates to several million peoples’ private data.

UK-based security researcher Jason Parker reports such bots have been active since at least early August 2024. Parker reported that the chatbots would give out random pieces of sensitive information for free, while the entire dataset is reportedly available for sale. The hacked telegram account was used to access this information, enabling unauthorized access.

While these statements do have some ring of truth to them, Star Health still denies there has been a mass data breach. In this respect, the company declared with certainty, “Sensitive customer data remains secure.”

Further investigations have gone on to establish the full extent of the incident.

Data Breach Underlines Security Challenges

While using the Telegram chatbot, Reuters accessed over 1,500 files with highly detailed personal information, like medical diagnoses, addresses, phone numbers, and identification documents. Some of the documents were from as recently as July 2024, raising serious concerns about data protection and the safety of customers’ private information. The Telegram hack raises questions about the platform’s ability to prevent such occurrences.

With 900 million monthly active users, Telegram hacked has repeatedly been criticized for enabling illicit activity with features such as anonymous accounts and chatbots. The content moderation of the app is under extreme scrutiny, especially after the arrest last month of its founder, Pavel Durov, in France. However, the hacking Telegram denies any wrongdoing and says it does much work to address these issues.

A Telegram spokesperson, Remi Vaughn, has just recently told Reuters that the offending the telegram chatbothad been removed after being informed of the fact.

“The sharing of private information on Telegram is explicitly forbidden and is removed whenever it is discovered. Moderators use a mix of proactive monitoring, AI tools, and user reports to remove harmful content,” Vaughn said.

Star Health Response to Data Breach

In a filing to the exchanges on August 15, Star Health clarified that it was informed about a possible breach for the first time on August 13, wherein an unknown person contacted the company with information about unauthorized access to customer data. The insurer immediately informed the local police and CERT-In – the federal cybersecurity agency of India.

“Customer data privacy is of utmost importance, and with a market value of more than $4 billion, the unauthorized acquisition and dissemination of customer data is against the law, and we are taking all possible cooperation with law enforcement authorities to deal with this crime incident,” Star Health said.

Sandeep TS, a policyholder, said he was “worried” upon finding that the medical records of his one-year-old daughter had been accessed. “It sounds concerning. Do you know how this can affect me?” he said in an interaction immediately after confirming that the leaked documents were genuine.

Hacking Telegram channels continue to be one of the significant means through which data breaches occur. Experts think this trend is partially occurring because, according to Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity analyst at NordVPN, “Telegram is an easy-to-use storefront” for such criminals. The features of the app have made it an attractive means for selling stolen data, with hackers still exploiting vulnerabilities in systems like that of Star Health.

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