Star Health Reports $68,000 Ransom Demand Following Data Leak

On Saturday, Star Health, India’s largest health insurer, announced that it received a ransom demand of $68,000 from a cyber hacker following a leak of customer data and medical records.

With a market capitalization of approximately $4 billion, Star is facing a reputational and business crisis after Reuters reported on September 20 that a hacker used Telegram chatbots and a website to leak sensitive customer information, including tax details and medical claim documents. As a result, the company’s shares have dropped by 11%. In response, Star has initiated internal investigations and taken legal action against Telegram and the hacker, whose website continues publishing samples of Star’s customer data.

Star Health, which previously described itself as a “victim of a targeted malicious cyberattack,” revealed on Saturday that in August, the hacker demanded a ransom of $68,000 in an email sent to the company’s managing director and CEO.

This statement followed inquiries from Indian stock exchanges on Friday regarding a Reuters report about allegations involving the company’s chief security officer in the data leak investigation. Star emphasized that no evidence of wrongdoing by Amarjeet Khanuja was found, although the internal investigation is still ongoing.

Additionally, Star reported that Telegram has refused to share account details or permanently ban the accounts associated with the hacker, known as xenZen, despite receiving multiple notices from the company.

Star has requested assistance from Indian cybersecurity authorities to help identify the hacker. Telegram has yet to respond to requests for comment. The Dubai-based messaging app previously stated removing the chatbots after Reuters alerted them to the issue.

YouTube Reportedly Confirms Reducing Elements on the Ads as Users Claim ‘Skip Button’ Is Being Hidden

Some users have noticed that the “skip button” on YouTube ads is sometimes hidden by black squares over the ad interface. While some viewers report that the skip button is completely missing, others find it only appears after the countdown ends. YouTube has claimed that the skip button is not being tampered with but is testing changes to simplify the ad interface for a better viewing experience. Additionally, the company has announced that it will extend the maximum length of Shorts from one minute to three minutes.

YouTube Reportedly Confirms Reducing Elements on Ad Screen

YouTube’s ad interface has changed several times over the years, but the current layout is pretty standard. It features both skippable and unskippable ads. Unskippable ads only display a bottom bar that shows how long the ad has played and how much time remains. In contrast, skippable ads include additional elements.

Skippable ads feature a countdown timer that lasts between 15 to 30 seconds, indicating how long viewers must watch before they can skip the ad. A skip button appears once the timer reaches zero, allowing users to return to the video. Some skippable ads do not include a countdown timer, enabling users to skip them immediately.

Recently, a Reddit user shared a screenshot showing a black square overlay hiding both the skip button and the timer, making them invisible even though they were present. Similarly, an Android Police report noted that some skippable ads did not display a countdown timer but did show the skip button after a few seconds.

These reports of missing skip buttons are not isolated incidents. Several users on X have also noted they cannot find the skip button. Although the staff at Karnataka News Express has yet to encounter this issue, it may be due to the YouTube test being limited to specific geographic areas.

YouTube spokesperson Oluwa Falodun clarified to The Verge that the platform is not hiding the skip button. In skippable ads, the button appears after five seconds of playback, as it always has. However, Falodun explained that YouTube is reducing some elements in the ad player to help viewers better engage with the ad content. One change includes displaying the skip countdown timer as a progress bar at the bottom of the screen.

It’s possible that the missing skip buttons some users have experienced were due to a glitch during this transition. However, this issue will only become clear once YouTube provides an official explanation for the changes.