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US insurance giant blames malware for data breach

The US arm of global insurance giant Aviva has blamed a malware infection for a recent data breach.

It was recently revealed that the personal data of around 550 of Aviva USA's customers was leaked over the first two months of 2009, with the relevant authorities having been informed soon after, in line with New Hampshire laws.

Now, the company has confirmed that the breach was due to malware that was installed on its computer system when online research was being conducted.

The letter written by Aviva USA to the state Attorney General read: "We have removed the affected hardware from service and have taken steps to secure our environment against similar future malware attacks.

"In addition, new passwords have been issued to the employees whose login information may have been compromised."

It was also added that those customers whose data was placed at risk due to the breach have been offered free identity theft protection for a year.

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