On February 16, 2024, Newport Group, Inc. (“Newport”) filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Montana after discovering that confidential information related to Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company customers was exposed to unauthorized access due to a third-party vendor data breach at Infosys McCamish. In this notice, Newport explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access Northwestern Mutual customers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, Social Security numbers, addresses, and dates of birth. Upon completing its investigation, Northwestern Mutual 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 Newport Group or The Northwestern Mutual 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 Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance / Newport data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.

What Caused the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Data Breach?

The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Newport’s filing with the Attorney General of Montana provides some important information on what led up to the breach. Because this was a third-party data breach, it didn’t involve hackers accessing Northwestern Mutual’s IT network. Instead, they were able to obtain Northwestern Mutual customer information by hacking into a vendor’s computer network.

According to Newport’s recent filing, Newport provides administrative support to non-qualified deferred compensation plans issued through Northwestern Mutual. Infosys McCamish is a company that Newport Group uses to process transactions for non-qualified deferred compensation plans. On November 2, 2023, Infosys McCamish learned that it was the target of a ransomware attack.

Once Infosys McCamish informed Newport Group of the incident, Newport Group disconnected all Infosys McCamish systems. Infosys McCamish then launched an investigation with the help of third-party data security specialists. Ultimately, this investigation confirmed that an unauthorized party was able to access certain information belonging to Northwestern Mutual customers that was stored on Infosys McCamish systems.

After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, the companies 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, Social Security number, address, and date of birth.

On February 16, 2024, Newport sent out data breach letters to Northwestern Mutual clients who were 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 The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company

Founded in 1859, Northwestern Mutual is an insurance company based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Northwestern Mutual also offers investment services, estate planning services, wealth management services and financial planning services. Northwestern Mutual employs more than 7,500 people and generates approximately $37 billion in annual revenue.