California consulting firm Keenan & Associates says data breach impacted over 1.57m customers

California-based insurance consulting and brokerage firm Keenan & Associates said it experienced a data security incident in August that compromised the sensitive personal information of more than 1.57 million individuals.

 

Founded in 1972, Keenan offers employee benefits plans, property & liability coverage, workers’ compensation plans, and more. In 2017, it became a part of AssuredPartners NL, one of the largest brokerage firms in the U.S.

 

In a filing with the Office of the Maine Attorney General, Keenan said that on August 27 last year, it identified certain disruptions affecting internal network servers. The company immediately launched an investigation with assistance from third party cyber security specialists to understand the nature and scope of the incident and notified relevant law enforcement authorities.

 

“The investigation determined that an unauthorised party gained access to certain Keenan internal systems at various times between approximately August 21, 2023 and August 27, 2023, and that the unauthorised party obtained some data from Keenan systems.

 

The firm’s investigation revealed that the cyber security incident compromised the names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, passport numbers, driver’s license numbers, health insurance information, and general health information of customers.

 

The company initially informed the Maine state regulator that at least 1,509,616 individuals were affected by the data breach. However, on April 2, it said in a fresh regulatory filing that 1,573,844 individuals have so far been impacted by the data security incident.

 

“To help prevent a similar type of incident from occurring in the future, we implemented additional security protocols designed to enhance the security of our network, internal systems and applications. Keenan will also continue to evaluate additional steps that may be taken to further increase our defenses. In addition, we are continuing to support federal law enforcement’s investigation,” Keenan added.

 

The company has urged all affected customers to remain vigilant, review their credit reports and financial statements on a regular basis, and report suspicious activity to relevant law enforcement authorities and financial organisations.

 

The brokerage firm is offering two years of complimentary identity protection services through Experian Identity Works to all the individuals affected by the cyber security incident. It has also set up a dedicated helpline number where affected individuals can call and get their queries resolved.