MAS insurance might have exposed their members’ data

MAS insurance, one of New Zealand’s biggest insurance companies, reported that a cyberattack might have potentially exposed the personal information of its members. According to the firm, one of their third-party suppliers of after-hours call-centre services for the company has notified them that breached systems occurred because of a cyberattack.

As of now, the insurance company has yet to confirm what data has been compromised by the attackers. The company has still suspended the use of the compromised supplier as a preventive method.

The Medical Assurance Society (MAS) was founded by NZ-based doctors in 1921 and declares on its website that over 80% of Kiwi medical professionals are a member of their company. However, the company has expanded and now provides insurance to non-medical professionals such as house, life, car, and contents insurance.

 

MAS insurance works closely with the third-party supplier to minimise the attack’s damage.

 

A representative from MAS insurance explained that their company is cooperating with the affected third-party supplier who suffered the attack to remediate the situation.

The representative assured concerned individuals that the MAS systems were still secure and had not been affected by the data breach. However, they still suggest that their members change their passwords in personal accounts to ensure their safety against attackers.

Furthermore, a team from MAS insurance will provide limited after-hours services and coordinate any messages left with it outside business hours while resolving their third-party call centre agency’s case.

The company also apologised for the inconvenience caused by the attack and explained that the privacy and confidentiality of their members’ personal information is one of their top priorities.

In addition, the company stated that they would contact their members directly if they have concerns regarding their accounts. Users who also have questions could contact their firm by emailing their privacy officers.

This year, the cyberattack against the Medical Assurance Society is another cybercriminal campaign in the Oceanic region. Experts advise that people should be more competent in spotting malicious entities, especially phishing messages, as many threat actors have been targeting Australia and New Zealand recently.