Star Health Data Exposed, Millions of Customer Records Leaked via Telegram Chatbot

A massive data breach has rocked India’s largest health insurance provider, Star Health, with sensitive customer information, including medical reports and personal details, accessible through Telegram chatbots. This breach has raised serious concerns about data security, especially after the arrest of Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, last month for allowing the platform to facilitate illegal activities.

According to a security researcher, customer data, including medical records, tax IDs, and policy numbers of over 31 million Star Health customers, has been leaked. The chatbots allow users to request sensitive documents with a single click. Samples downloaded by Reuters included medical reports of a one-year-old child and confidential documents of multiple policyholders.

Despite the insurer’s claim that “sensitive customer data remains secure,” Reuters confirmed the exposure of over 1,500 files through the bots. Telegram, after being informed, swiftly took down the chatbots, but new ones soon emerged.

Experts warn this is part of a growing trend where stolen data is sold through chatbots, with India being a prime target. Star Health has reported the breach to authorities, and investigations are ongoing, but many affected customers remain unaware of the leak.