Anthem Settles Attorneys General Breach Probe for $39.5 Million

Anthem Inc. must pay $39.5 million in a multistate settlement resolving a data breach that began in 2014 and compromised the personal information of nearly 79 million customers nationwide.

Anthem also must strengthen data security practices and schedule third-party assessments and audits for three years, according to a statement by New York Attorney General Letitia James (D).

“This agreement signals that Anthem is committed to protecting consumers’ private information,” James said in the statement.

The settlement involved more than 40 state attorneys general.

The breach began through a phishing email and exposed Anthem’s data warehouse, which hosted names, Social Security ...