Managed healthcare company Anthem has announced that hackers have attacked the company's computer system, compromising the personal information of millions of customers around the country.
"Anthem was the target of a very sophisticated external cyber attack," Anthem President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Swedish wrote in an e-mail statement.
"Anthem will individually notify current and former members whose information has been accessed. We will provide credit monitoring and identity protection free of charge so that those who have been affected can have piece of mind."
Compromised information includes names, birthdays, Social Security numbers, addressed and employment data, USA Today reports. Although specific credit card information was not released, it is likely that hackers may still be able to access that data given the previously-mentioned material that was breached.
An estimated 80 million customers, including both current and former clients, are said to be affected by the hack. Analysts have speculated that it may be the largest health care breach to date.
"Many healthcare companies have been laggards in the security area by focusing purely on check-box compliance and not on protecting customer information," Forrester Research analyst John Kindervag told USA Today.
The FBI has launched an investigation of the security breach and is working closely with Anthem and credit bureau government officials to further protect personal information of customers.
