Arthur Gallagher Data Breach

Insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has been alerting employees and clients that a ransomware attack on its systems in September 2020 has potentially compromised personal information of over 722,000 individuals.

Arthur Gallagher has said the cyberattacker remains unknown, though the ransomware found within Arthur Gallagher systems has been identified. Arthur Gallagher has not said whether or not it paid a ransom as the data breach investigation is still ongoing.

While the FBI has warned victims to not pay cybercriminals ransoms, it can be tempting for some organizations to recover stolen data as fast as possible, by any means necessary. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last September, Arthur Gallagher said it took its systems offline as a precautionary measure, launched a data breach investigation, engaged third-party cybersecurity experts, and said it has done its best to minimize disruption to customers.

According to Arthur Gallagher a data breach review determined that the following types of personal information of some individuals were present on impacted systems:

• Social Security numbers
• Tax identification number
• Driver’s license
• Passport numbers
• Dates of birth
• Employee identification numbers
• Credit card information
• Electronic signature
• Medical treatment information
• Health insurance information
• Biometric information

Ransomware attacks like the one that hit Arthur Gallagher are growing steadily. In 2020, victims of cyberattacks included more than 100 government agencies, around 500 health care centers, and other institutions.