Erie Insurance cyberattack causes widespread outages and disruptions

Erie Insurance and its management company, Erie Indemnity Company, have confirmed that a cyberattack over the weekend is responsible for the ongoing service outages and operational disruptions that have impacted customers and agents since Saturday, June 7.

The insurance provider, which serves over six million active policies across auto, home, life, and business coverage, disclosed the incident in a Form 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today. The filing states that Erie Indemnity Company detected “unusual network activity” on June 7, prompting an immediate response to safeguard its systems and data.

According to a public notice on Erie Insurance’s website, the company’s Information Security team initiated its incident response protocols upon identifying the suspicious activity. The statement emphasizes that protective measures have been ongoing since Saturday, and the company is working with law enforcement and cybersecurity experts to conduct a comprehensive forensic investigation into the breach.

Since the onset of the attack, customers have reported an inability to access the company’s online portal, submit insurance claims, or receive important documentation. Erie Insurance has not specified the exact cause of the service interruptions but noted that shutting down affected systems is part of standard containment procedures in response to a cyber event. These measures, while critical to preventing further spread, often result in substantial disruption to normal business operations.

Erie Insurance has also issued a fraud alert to customers, clarifying that it will not contact policyholders by phone or email to request payments during the outage. The company has advised all customers to avoid clicking on suspicious links and to refrain from sharing personal information through unverified communications.

While the full scope, nature, and potential impact of the cyberattack remain under investigation, Erie Insurance has not disclosed whether ransomware was involved or if any sensitive data was compromised.

For those needing assistance during the outage, the company has directed policyholders to contact their local agents or reach out to Erie’s First Notice of Loss team by phone at (800) 367-3743. General customer service inquiries can be made by calling (800) 458-0811.