HDFC Life Data Leak: ‘Unknown Source’ Shared Customer Data, Says Company - Latest Developments

HDFC Life Data Leak: On Monday, the leading life insurance company HDFC Life Insurance shared that an ‘unknown source’ has mailed the company certain customer data fields which appears to be a case of data breach. In an exchange filing on November 25, the company shared that the customer data was shared with ‘mala fide intent’ and it has already begun an investigation in consultation with information security experts.

“We wish to inform that we have received communication from an unknown source, who has shared certain data fields of our customers with us, with mala fide intent. …As an immediate measure, we have initiated an information security assessment and data log analysis. A detailed investigation is underway in consultation with information security experts to assess the root cause and take remedial action, as necessary,” the company shared in an exchange filing.

Investigation Underway To Asses Potential Impact: HDFC Life

The insurance major also shared that the process of assessing the potential impact of the possible data breach attempt is underway and the disclosure is being made ‘as a matter of good governance.’

“We continue to investigate this further to assess the potential impact and are making this disclosure as a matter of good governance. We will take utmost care to handle concerns of our customers and take actions to safeguard their interests,” the company added.

Previous Cases of Data Breach With HDFC Bank

In March 2023, claims of a data theft affecting HDFC Bank customers surfaced, with cyber criminals on a popular hacker forum alleging they had accessed the personal information of approximately 600,000 users linked to the India-based bank.  

HDFC Bank, however, strongly refuted the allegations, asserting that their systems were secure and uncompromised.  

“There is no data leak at HDFC Bank, and our systems have not been breached or accessed in any unauthorised manner. We remain confident in our systems,” the bank stated in response to the claims on Twitter.