Quick Security Tips for Anthem Customers

Dwayne Melancon, chief technology officer at information security products vendor Tripwire, warns individuals affected by the Anthem health information breach to be wary of emails or calls they receive.


Dwayne Melancon, chief technology officer at information security products vendor Tripwire, warns individuals affected by the Anthem health information breach to be wary of emails or calls they receive.

Such communications are almost certainly fraudulent and Anthem has said it will be notifying those affected via postal mail, he says. “Nonetheless, be on the lookout for potentially fraudulent requests for information requested by mail—remember, the criminals have mailing information, as well.”

“We can expect to see a flood of phishing emails disguised as notifications from Anthem. HR, Finance are likely targets along with consumers,” states Stu Sjouwerman, CEO of web-based security training vendor KnowBe4. “Don’t open anything suspicious. Anthem is being very smart about notification in writing as opposed to email notifications.”

Melancon also advises freezing credit reports immediately with all three credit bureaus—Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Change answers for your secret questions on various websites to non-personal answers. Make up your own questions and answers that are fictitious but that you will remember. This will make it tougher for others to access your online accounts.

Philip Casesa, director of IT/Service Operations at the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, agrees. “While Anthem will likely offer some protection services to their customers, potential victims shouldn’t wait,” Casesa said in a written statement. “They may want to go ahead and activate credit freeze alerts, credit monitoring, and gather supporting financial and personal documentation for future issues. These items are key for victims to protect themselves from a potential identity theft situation.”

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