Independence Blue Cross Provides Notice of a Privacy Incident

Independence Blue Cross, LLC ("Independence") is providing notice to certain members of a recent incident involving protected health information.

On May 8, 2020, the Independence Blue Cross Privacy Office was notified that certain member information may have been accessible for unauthorized viewing. Independence quickly launched an investigation to determine the nature and scope of this incident, working with a leading forensics investigation firm to confirm what happened and what information may have been affected. The investigation determined that certain Independence members used the same password credentials for multiple websites. These passwords were previously exposed through other third-party events, such as the 2018 MyFitnessPal application compromise. The passwords obtained from the third-party compromise were then used to obtain access to certain pages within Independence's member portal between March 17, 2020, and April 30, 2020. After thorough investigation, Independence is unaware of any actual or attempted misuse of this information. In an abundance of caution, Independence is notifying affected members about this incident and will be offering access to 24 months of free credit monitoring and identity protection services.

The investigation confirmed the information present on the website included the following information related to the affected members: name, member identification number, plan type, spending account balances (if applicable), user reward summary (if applicable), and claims information, such as provider and/or prescription information (if applicable). This incident did not involve any social security numbers, financial information, or credit card information.       

Information privacy and security are among Independence's highest priorities. Independence has strict security measures in place to protect information in their care. Upon learning of this incident, Independence quickly took steps to ensure the security of the member portal accounts involved. Independence reviewed company policies and procedures and implemented additional technical controls to help prevent future incidents of this kind.  

Additional information, including information on how to protect against identity theft and fraud can be obtained by contacting Independence's dedicated call center at 877-890-9332.

Source: Independence Blue Cross