In March 2023, Blue Shield of California disclosed that a data breach had occurred at one of its vendors, Fortra, LLC. Fortra is a company that provides managed file transfer services to Blue Shield.
The breach resulted in the unauthorized access of personal information for 63,341 Blue Shield customers. The information that was accessed included names, addresses, dates of birth, genders, Blue Shield subscriber ID numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, and other protected health information.
The breach occurred on January 28-31, 2023, when an unauthorized individual gained access to Fortra's GoAnywhere Managed File Transfer-as-a-service (MFTaaS) application. The individual was able to download files Brightline maintained on that system.
Brightline is a Blue Shield of California provider that offers virtual behavioral health coaching and therapy for children aged 18 months to 17 years old.
Blue Shield has stated that it is working with Fortra to investigate the breach and to take steps to prevent future incidents. Blue Shield has also offered affected customers free credit monitoring services.
If you were affected by the breach, you should take the following steps:
Monitor your accounts for suspicious activity.
Place a fraud alert on your credit report.
Request a free copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus.
Consider enrolling in a credit monitoring service.
You can also contact Blue Shield at 1-877-881-2025 or visit their website for more information.
What to Do If You Think You've Been Involved in a Data Breach
If you think you've been involved in a data breach, there are a few things you can do to protect yourself:
Monitor your accounts for suspicious activity. This includes checking your bank accounts, credit card statements, and other financial accounts for unauthorized charges.
Place a fraud alert on your credit report. This will make it more difficult for someone to open new accounts in your name.
Request a free copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus. This will allow you to check for any unauthorized activity on your credit report.
Consider enrolling in a credit monitoring service. This will provide you with ongoing alerts about any changes to your credit report.
If you're concerned about your privacy, you can also take steps to protect your personal information online. This includes using strong passwords, being careful about what information you share online, and being wary of phishing emails.
How to Protect Yourself from Data Breaches
Data breaches are becoming increasingly common, so it's important to take steps to protect yourself. Here are a few tips:
Use strong passwords and change them regularly.
Be careful about what information you share online.
Be wary of phishing emails.
Use a firewall and antivirus software.
Keep your software up to date.
