An Indian court in Tamil Nadu has mandated Star Health, the country's largest insurer, to assist Telegram in identifying data disclosed through its messaging service. This order follows a revelation that a hacker exploited Telegram chatbots to leak sensitive client information, including tax details and medical claim documents.
Star Health, which has a market valuation of approximately $4 billion, filed an appeal with the Madras High Court after the leak was reported by Reuters. Justice K. Kumaresh Babu instructed the insurer to provide details necessary for Telegram to take action against the bots involved in the data breach.
Telegram stated that it cannot independently search for the leaks but is willing to remove the data with the insurer's help. Thriyambak Kannan, Telegram's attorney, emphasized that Star Health must specify which chatbots are leaking information.
After being alerted by Reuters, Telegram claimed to have taken down the reported chatbots. Star Health is also investigating a potential internal breach, as it faces a $68,000 ransom demand related to the leak. The insurer has yet to find evidence of wrongdoing by its senior security officer, who has declined to comment.
The court has classified the leaked information as highly confidential. The case will reconvene in two weeks.