Anthem Announces Settlement with State Attorneys General Following 2015 Cyber Attack

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anthem announced today that it has reached a settlement with the group of State Attorneys General investigating the company’s cyber-attack that occurred back in 2015, in which it was a victim of a sophisticated state sponsored criminal attack group. Anthem cooperated with the State Attorneys General throughout their investigation and has agreed to pay $39.5 million in settlement in connection with their investigation.

As part of the settlement, Anthem has also undertaken commitments that align with Anthem’s ongoing and consistent focus on protecting information. The company is pleased to have resolved this matter, which is the last open investigation related to the 2015 cyber-attack. Anthem does not believe it violated the law in connection with its data security and is not admitting to any such violations in this settlement with the State Attorneys General.

At the time of the incident, Anthem’s first priority was to ensure that its systems were secure and immediately engaged the FBI and a world-class security organization. The company took immediate action to investigate and assist consumers and customers and to meet and exceed its legal obligations to provide notice and cooperate with law enforcement. Following the investigations, no evidence has been found that information obtained through the 2015 cyber-attack targeting Anthem has resulted in fraud.

The attack against Anthem in 2015 was just one example of a growing list of companies victimized by these sophisticated state sponsored crimes. The company is grateful for the support and partnership of the FBI and extended law enforcement teams investigating this attack and to the Department of Justice for their efforts to bring the criminal attack group to justice when two members of that group were indicted in 2019.

Anthem takes the security of its data and the personal information of consumers seriously and is committed to safeguarding PHI and PII, while adapting to the evolving health care information security environment. Anthem continues to invest in a secure framework, security software and hardware, 24/7/365 security monitoring, in relationships with external cyber security experts and is active in the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) and will continue to collaborate with state and federal regulators and partners in this critical work.

About Anthem, Inc.

Anthem is a leading health benefits company dedicated to improving lives and communities, and making healthcare simpler. Through its affiliated companies, Anthem serves more than 106 million people, including more than 42 million within its family of health plans. We aim to be the most innovative, valuable and inclusive partner. For more information, please visit www.antheminc.com or follow @AnthemInc on Twitter.