Following a report that a potentially devastating data security breach occurred at Anthem, Inc. on Thursday, Rep. Pat Meehan (R-PA) spoke out on the troubling trend of cyberattacks.
“It seems that every day we learn of another massive data breach, and the scale of the attacks seem to grow larger and larger” Meehan, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and former chairman of the Cybersecurity Subcommittee of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said. “Seventy million customers compromised at Target, 76 million accounts affected at JPMorgan Chase – now 80 million at one of our nation’s largest health insurers. If this breach shows us anything, it’s that no corner of our economy is safe from cybercrime.”
It is believed that no medical information was stolen in the breach, but officials warn that type of data is extremely valuable to criminals. It is estimated that bundles of stolen Social Security numbers along with matching medical information can be worth millions on the black market.
“Today’s news is a fresh reminder of the need to protect all of our personal information from cyberattack and theft,” Meehan added. “Congress must continue to work with the private sector and the administration to improve information sharing about cyber threats and strengthen our critical infrastructure against cyberattacks that could bring down vital systems like our power grids or financial networks.”