TNB Tech Minute: Aflac Said a Cyberattack Might Have Caused the Theft of Personal Data

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[00:00:31] Here's your TNB Tech Minute for Friday, June 20th. I'm Victoria Craig for The Wall Street Journal. Aflac today said it's been hit with a cyberattack that might have resulted in the theft of personal data related to its U.S. business. The potentially affected files contain claims and health information, social security numbers, and other personal information of customers, beneficiaries, and employees.

[00:00:52] Aflac hasn't determined the total number of those affected or the full scope of the breach, but said its business is operational and its systems were not affected by ransomware. Elsewhere, there might be another twist in the Trump administration's crackdown on critical U.S. technology making its way to China. A Commerce Department official told chipmakers including Samsung Electronics and TSMC that he wants to revoke certain waivers for using American tech in China. That is according to people familiar with the matter.

[00:01:22] White House officials said this isn't a new trade escalation. Earlier this month, the U.S. and China reached a trade truce in London. Part of that was an agreement to hold off on introducing new export controls. And finally, the European Commission has sent questionnaires to Elon Musk's social media platform X over its takeover of Musk's XAI business. A spokesperson for the commission said it's monitoring changes in X's corporate structure and their potential impact on an existing European Union probe into the platform.

[00:01:51] For a deeper dive into what's happening in tech, check out Monday's Tech News Briefing podcast.