Hack of Aflac potentially affected more than 22 million people, company says

A cybersecurity breach of Columbus, Georgia-based insurance giant Aflac Inc. potentially exposed the personal information of approximately 22.65 million people, the company said in a statement last week.

The affected files included names, contact information, claims information, health information, Social Security numbers, and/or other personal information, according to the company.

In early June, Aflac, a multinational Fortune 500 company that focuses on supplemental health insurance for medical expenses not covered by a primary provider, detected suspicious activity within some of the networks of its U.S. business. It said it stopped the attack within hours.

"To date, Aflac is not aware of any fraudulent use of personal information and — along with third-party partners — will continue to monitor any fraudulent activity," the company said in its statement.

The insurance giant is offering free credit monitoring, identity theft protection, medical fraud protection and customer support for 24 months.

Aflac said the attack was caused by a sophisticated cybercrime group and was part of a campaign against the insurance industry. At least three other insurance firms — Allianz Life, Erie Insurance and Philadelphia Insurance Companies — suffered similar hacks this summer.

Aflac discovered the security breach June 12, which involved the unauthorized group using "social engineering tactics" to gain access to Aflac's network, the company said in a statement at the time.

Aflac was hit with about two dozen proposed class action lawsuits in relation to the data breach. The cases, seeking relief for everyone whose information was exposed, have been consolidated before a federal judge in Columbus, where the company is headquartered.

Aflac has until mid-March to officially respond to the allegations, including that it failed to safeguard customers' sensitive information and promptly tell them about what happened.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuits.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution staff writer Rosie Manins contributed to this article.