China Hackers Suspected in Anthem Inc. Breach

More than 80 million personal records were stolen when computer hackers broke into the database of Anthem Inc., the nation's second largest health insurer.

Bloomberg reports that investigators suspect Chinese-sponsored hackers are responsible for what’s being called a very sophisticated attack. There are also some indications that other healthcare companies may have been compromised as well.

The attack comes as little surprise since health care has become one of the top targets for hackers.

"Some of the hackers now are so good, it's almost impossible in reality to keep them out. And on top of that, you don't know that they're in," former FBI agent Brad Garrett said.

***For more information about the breach, visit Anthem's website. The health insurance provider has also provided a toll-free number for current and former members to call, 877-263-7995.

Healthcare companies are the perfect target for hackers because of their massive stores of financial and medical information.

In addition, health insurers and hospitals don't have the defenses that major financial or retail companies do, leaving the information more vulnerable to experienced hackers.

"What we're really afraid of in this scenario is that they didn't get credit card information but they got Social Security numbers," Rene Aguero, with Rapid7 Security, said.

Other information that may have been compromised in the Anthem breach includes birthdays, addresses, and employment details – all things that can be used for identity theft.

Experts stress that this latest attack highlights the importance of cyber-security planning.

"The economics of the attacks favor the attackers," Aguero said. "The people that are defending the networks are constantly looking for new ways to go through and protect and there are always arguments as to how much should we budget for different types of security counter-measures and how much is enough."

Anthem says it plans to notify affected customers with letters and emails. They plan to set up an information website and offer a credit-monitoring service.