By Rob Polansky

Connecticut got its hands on part of a $39.5 million multi-state settlement stemming from Anthem data breach that happened six years ago.

Attorney General William Tong said the breach involved the personal information of 78.8 million Americans.

Through the settlement, Anthem reached a resolution with a 43-state coalition and California.

Tong said Connecticut will receive $3.8 million from the settlement.

In Feb. 2015, Anthem disclosed that cyber attackers had infiltrated its systems beginning in Feb. 2014 and used malware installed through a phishing email.

The attackers were ultimately able to gain access to Anthem’s data warehouse, where they collected names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, healthcare identification numbers, home addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and employment information for millions of Americans.

In Connecticut, 1.7 million residents were affected by the breach.

“Connecticut led the multistate investigation into Anthem’s 2014 data breach, culminating [Wednesday] in a $39.5 million multistate settlement," Tong said. "Nearly half of all of Connecticut residents were impacted by this massive breach. This settlement sends a strong message that state attorneys general will fight to protect consumer privacy and data security.”

Under the settlement, Anthem agreed to a series of provisions designed to strengthen its security practices going forward.