India's Star Health sues Telegram after hacker uses app's chatbots to leak data

Star Health and Allied Insurance

26/09/2024 08:10

By Munsif Vengattil and Aditya Kalra
       BENGALURU, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Top Indian insurer Star
Health  STAU.NS  has sued Telegram and a self-styled hacker
after Reuters reported that the hacker was using chatbots on the
messaging app to leak personal data and medical reports of
policy holders.
    Star has received a temporary injunction from a court in its
home state of Tamil Nadu ordering Telegram to block any chatbots
or websites in India "that make available the data online," the
insurer said in public notice published in The Hindu newspaper.
    Star in the notice described the incident as "illegal
hacking and unauthorized accessing of the confidential,
sensitive" information.
    Telegram did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
    Reuters last week reported that an individual dubbed xenZen
had made stolen data including medical reports of Star customers
publicly accessible on Telegram, just weeks after Telegram's
founder was accused of allowing the app to facilitate crime.

 (Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by
Christopher Cushing)
 ((munsif.vengattil@thomsonreuters.com;))