Nearly 4 million individuals affected by DentaQuest security incident

Dental insurance provider DentaQuest has disclosed that a data security incident earlier this year exposed sensitive personal information belonging to nearly 4 million individuals.

 

Headquartered in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts, DentaQuest is a dental benefits provider that offers insurance services and oral health solutions to millions of members through employer, individual, and government programs. The company focuses on expanding access to dental care and improving oral health outcomes through its provider networks and services.

 

In a data security incident notice filed with the Office of California Attorney General, DentaQuest said that on May 20, it  identified unauthorised access to its internal network. The insurance provider immediately launched an investigation, with assistance from external cyber security experts, to determine the nature and scope of the incident.

 

It also took steps to secure the affected systems and notified relevant law enforcement authorities about the incident.

 

An investigation determined that threat actors infiltrated its internal network on May 17 and stole confidential data including names, and other personal identifiers, dental or vision health information, such as provider names, diagnoses, treatments and billing information. The incident was reported to the Texas regulators office where DentaQuest said that it has identified as many as 3,973,000 individuals impacted by the incident.

 

The insurance provider has advised all affected individuals to regularly monitor their credit reports, account and benefit statements and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities, including the police and the state attorney general. 

 

It has also offered two years of complimentary identity protection and credit monitoring services through Kroll to all affected individuals.

 

In May, the ShinyHunters hacker group claimed it breached DentaQuest’s internal network, stealing more than 2.6 million unique email addresses along with names, addresses and phone numbers.