Cyber Insurance Alert: Aflac Taps CyEx Medical Shield After 22.65M-Person Breach

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Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Breach Triggers Expanded Protection

“Call in cyber liability insurance for your health insurance.” After a cybersecurity incident, Aflac brought in CyEx as it responded to an attack the insurer said affected 22.65 million people. Aflac said it secured its network and launched an investigation. The company warned that the exposed data may include health information, claims records, and Social Security numbers, details that can fuel medical identity theft and billing fraud for years. What to do?

CyEx logo over a hospital hallway with blurred medical staff, highlighting cyber insurance and medical fraud protection after a data breach.
Cyber Insurance, Medical Fraud Response, And Identity Theft

Aflac chose CyEx Medical Shield to help customers, beneficiaries, employees, agents, and others affected by the breach. Medical Shield provides medical and healthcare monitoring, as well as credit and dark web checks. It tracks stolen medical data on dark web marketplaces and sends real-time alerts for suspicious activity. The service also watches for high-risk transactions linked to healthcare fraud. The package offers up to $1 million in protection for eligible medical fraud costs, similar to coverage for personal recovery after a breach. Medical Shield also gives ongoing support to help victims restore their identities and protect their health data.

What CyEx Says

CyEx President Jerry Thompson said Aflac “took the high road” after the incident. He explained that company leaders saw the event as a “breach of medical trust.” Thompson noted that credit monitoring alone is not enough in many healthcare data breaches. He said Medical Shield combines credit monitoring with medical fraud protection.

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Why This Matters

Industry experts say medical identity theft is increasing in the United States. Criminals use stolen data to get care, file false claims, or change medical records. Victims may face denied coverage, debt, or even dangerous treatment mistakes. Aflac’s decision shows there is more demand for data breach insurance and cyber liability coverage focused on medical fraud. CyEx was founded in 2020 and has assisted with more than 700 breach response cases.

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Martin Hinton

Martin Hinton is the Executive Editor and Publisher of Cyber Insurance News and Information. With over three decades of journalism experience across six continents, his work encompasses investigative reporting, documentaries, and coverage of cultural, political, and business news. To learn more about his career, click on his name to visit his LinkedIn page.

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