If there is one thing I’ve learned from covering data breaches over the years, don’t take the company’s first numbers at face value. When a violation is published, most companies try to minimize the damage by reporting fewer victims or by remaining vague about what data is being published.
Sometimes, to be fair, they still don’t have the perfect photo. But that is rarely clearly conveyed. The same happened again at the Insurtech company, which doubled the number of people affected by the violations disclosed last year.
Woman working on a laptop (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
What you need to know
Landmark managers at the Texas-based insurance management service provider have revised the scope of the May 2024 cyberattack, revealing that they were nearly twice as affected, as originally reported. In October 2024, the landmark revealed that suspicious activity was detected on May 13th, prompting an investigation. at that time, It was estimated that the violation affected 806,519 people. However, a recent update filed with the Maine Attorney General’s Office has now jumped to 1,613,773.
The landmark acts as third-party administrators who provide back-end support to major insurers, such as Liberty Bankers Life and American Benefit Life. This means that millions of sensitive insurance contract records bring about flow through that system, making them an attractive goal for cybercriminals.
The information that is violated varies from person to person, but may contain a wide range of confidential personal data. This includes your full name, home address, Social Security number, tax identification number, driver’s license or state-issued identification number, passport number, and bank account details. In some cases, medical information, date of birth, number of health insurance policies, and details related to life and pension insurance may also be exposed.
Hackers at work (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
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What is the landmark doing now?
The company says forensic investigations are still ongoing and the total number of affected individuals could continue to increase. Personalized notification letters are mailed in stages, detailing exactly which types of data have been compromised in each case.
“The Landmark has begun reviewing the affected systems to identify specific individuals and the types of information that may have been compromised.” Read the latest notifications. “This process remains ongoing, but Landmarks will notify affected individuals via email as information becomes available.”
To mitigate fallout, the Landmark offers 12 months of free credit surveillance and identity theft protection. The notification also encourages recipients to monitor their credit reports and consider placing fraud alerts or security freezes for additional protection. A dedicated helpline is available for 90 days from notification to address any questions or concerns.
Scrolling on the phone with a man working on a laptop (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
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Six ways to stay safe from insurance data breaches
If your information is part of a landmark violation or similar violation, it is worth taking several steps to protect yourself.
1) Consider a protection service for identity theft. The groundbreaking data breaches make public personal and financial information public, so it’s important to stay proactive against identity theft. Identity Theft Protection Services provide continuous monitoring of your credit report, social security number, and even the dark web to detect if your information is misused. These services will send real-time alerts about suspicious activities, such as new credit inquiries or attempts to open a name account, and help you act quickly before serious damage occurs.
Beyond surveillance, many identity theft protection companies provide dedicated recovery specialists to help resolve fraud issues, challenge fraudulent fees and restore identity if it is breached. It often includes a white fraud resolution team that helps US-based case managers recover their losses, including up to $1 million to cover losses and legal costs. See my tips and best choices on how to protect yourself from identity theft.
2) Monitor your accounts and transactions. A groundbreaking data breaches revealed bank details to attackers. This means you can misuse these details to steal money. Online accounts and transactions should be reviewed periodically for suspicious or unauthorized activities. If you notice anything unusual, please report it to your service provider or authorities immediately. You should also check your credit report and score to see if there are any signs of identity theft or fraud.
3) Please contact your bank and credit card company. Landmark hackers have obtained bank and credit card information and can be used to make purchases or withdrawals without consent. You will need to notify your bank or credit card company of the situation. They can help you freeze or cancel your card, freeze or cancel your card for you, challenge fraud fees, and issue new cards. You will also need to contact one of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, or Transunion) and request that you place fraud alerts in your credit files. This makes it even more difficult for an ID thief to open a new account with your name without checking it.
4) Please use the Personal Data Deletion Service. A data breaches will leak a lot of information about you, and all of this can reach the public domain, which essentially gives anyone the opportunity to scam you. One positive step is to consider personal data deletion services that specialize in continuously monitoring and deleting information from a variety of online databases and websites. Although there is no service that promises to delete all data from the internet, deleting a deletion service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of continuously deleting information from hundreds of sites over a long period of time. Check out our top picks for data deletion services.
5) Have powerful antivirus software: Landmark hackers have people’s email addresses and full names. This makes it easy to send phishing links that install malware and steal all your data. These messages are designed to socially catch them, and it is almost impossible to catch them without caution. But you are not without defense.
The best way to protect yourself from malicious links to install malware is to install powerful antivirus software on all your devices, as it may access your personal information. This protection can also warn you that it will phish email and ransomware fraud and keep your personal information and digital assets safe. Get the best 2025 Antivirus Protection Winners picks for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
6) Enable two-factor authentication. The password was not part of the data breaches, but it still needs to be enabled Two factors certification (2FA). An additional layer of security is provided for all your critical accounts, including email, banking, and social media. 2FA requires you to provide a second information, such as the password when you log in, as well as the code sent to the phone. This makes it much more difficult for hackers to access their accounts even if they have a password. Enabling 2FA significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access and protects sensitive data.
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Important points of cart
The initial leak is not the only real risk associated with such a violation. It will slowly continue with the resulting IV drip. As more names and numbers emerge, it becomes difficult to contain fallout, and those who are shocked are scrambling to protect themselves. The delay in landmark clarity is a reminder that in a world of cyberattacks, timelines rarely function in the public’s favor. By the time the big picture appears, damage can already occur.
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