Breach, Data Security

Anthem attack possibly over insurance industry knowledge

The suspected Chinese hack of health insurer Anthem may have had more to do with that nation's leaders being interested in learning how to provide healthcare for its population than stealing data.

The February attack, along with a smaller hack of Premera in March, may have been part of a Chinese attempt to figure out how to deliver healthcare to its aging population, according to the Financial Times (FT). The Chinese government has declared it will deliver quality healthcare to all 1.4 billion of its citizens by 2020 so it needs help creating an infrastructure capable of handling this task, the story said, citing an unnamed U.S. government official.

Chinese citizens have already expressed their displeasure with the system now in place going as far as to attack some medical staffers, FT reported.

Anthem didn't return a call to confirm the possible purpose behind the attack.

Get daily email updates

SC Media's daily must-read of the most current and pressing daily news

By clicking the Subscribe button below, you agree to SC Media Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.