On August 28, 2024, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (“MetLife”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Montana after discovering that one of the company’s service providers experienced what appears to have been a cyberattack. In this notice, Metropolitan explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, dates of birth, policy numbers and Social Security numbers. Upon completing its investigation, Metropolitan Life began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.
If you received a data breach notification from Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options following the MetLife data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.
What Caused the Data Breach Affecting MetLife Customers?
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Metlife’s filing with the Attorney General of Montana provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, in July 2024, MetLife was informed by an anonymous service provider that an unauthorized party had been able to access the provider’s IT network. Evidently, the service provider learned of the unauthorized access back on February 22, 2024, at which point it secured its network and launched an investigation to learn more about what happened and which MetLife customers were affected.
In June 2024, MetLife’s service provider confirmed that there was unauthorized access to confidential MetLife customer information.
After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company reviewed the compromised files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, date of birth, policy number and Social Security number.
On August 28, 2024, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company sent out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.
More Information About Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
MetLife, Inc., is the name of the holding corporation for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), which is more commonly known as “MetLife.” The company provides a wide range of insurance products, including health insurance, dental insurance, auto insurance, disability insurance, and annuities. MetLife generates over $67 billion in annual revenue and employs approximately 45,000 people.
