Express Scripts has gone public today with information that they were contacted early in October by extortionists who threatened to disclose personal and medical information on millions of the company’s customers if Express Scripts doesn’t meet their ransom demands.

The ransom request was sent by mail and accompanied by the names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and, in some cases, prescription details, of 75 of the firm’s 50 million customers.

George Paz, Express Scripts’ chief executive, said the company will not pay the ransom, but declined to say how much money the extortionists demanded.

Express Scripts is one the largest pharmacy benefit management companies, and handles approximately 500 million prescriptions a year.

A company spokesman said they contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigations when the received the ransom demand last month, but still don’t know how the stolen information was obtained.

What makes this situation unique is Express Scripts’ unwillingness to pay up, according to Alan Paller, director of research for the SANS Institute, a computer security training group.

“There are thousands of companies that have already paid off extortionists in return for not having their customers’ data exposed,” Paller said. “This is especially true in the financial industry, as some banks are now getting more than one new extortion demand a day.”

Paller said few cases like Express Scripts’, involving cyber and data extortion, become public because their victims usually prefer to pay the ransom and avoid the publicity.

LifeLock is an industry leader in identity theft services, with almost 1.5 million members in the United States. Visit their website at LifeLock.com and see how they can help protect your finances, credit standing and your good name.

Sign up for their innovative services using the Life Lock Promotion Code Defense and get the lowest price with 30 days of free identity theft protection.

At the end of the 30-day free period, your card will be automatically billed $9 monthly unless you cancel within that first 30-day period. You can cancel anytime without penalty by calling 1-800-LIFELOCK. This offer is for new LifeLock members only.

Click Here To Bookmark It

Hide Sites