An incident of data leak related to the country's largest government bank State Bank of India (SBI) has come to light. According to the bank, an investigation into suspicious records found on the dark web found 3,897 entries that contained actual personal information of customers. The leaked information is said to contain sensitive information like name, mobile number, email address, date of birth and home address.
The bank had received an alert in this matter on October 16. After this SBI started internal investigation and activated its cyber security team. The bank also clarified that the incident has not affected its core banking services and banking operations are continuing as normal.
3.75 lakh suspicious records found on dark web
During the initial investigation, SBI investigated about 3.75 lakh suspicious records present on the dark web. According to the bank, 3,897 of these entries contained genuine personal information related to SBI customers.
According to the report, these records included customer names, mobile numbers, email addresses, dates of birth and addresses and some other sensitive information. These are said to include gender, bank branch details, customer information file (CIF) identifier, lead ID and metadata related to the loan application.
However, the bank has not yet officially confirmed the original source of the data leak and the reason behind it. The investigation into the matter is ongoing and potential cyber risks are being assessed.
SBI received alert on 16 October
According to the bank, it received information about this suspected data leak on October 16. This alert was received from various agencies including Threat Intelligence Service Provider, Defense Cyber Agency and Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).
After receiving the alert, the bank activated its Cyber Incident Response Team and initiated necessary security measures. SBI is continuously monitoring the matter and will take further action as per applicable legal and regulatory norms after completion of investigation.
Bank gave relief to customers
After the news of data leak comes out, questions may arise in the minds of customers regarding the security of online banking. On this, SBI has clarified that its core banking services have not been affected by the incident.
According to the bank, its online and offline services are functioning normally. However, if personal information is exposed, affected customers may face risks such as phishing, fraudulent calls, spoofed emails and identity theft.
Siriusim hacker group had claimed data theft
This matter came into discussion after a report surfaced on social media platform X on October 19. According to reports, on an online forum named BreachForums, an alleged hacker group named Siriusim had claimed to have stolen the data of about 3.75 lakh customers of SBI.
However, SBI's initial investigation has revealed that genuine customer information was found in 3,897 entries. The bank has not publicly held the alleged hacker group responsible for the incident. Therefore, the source of data theft and the responsible party are yet to be confirmed.
What should SBI customers do now?
If you are an SBI customer, it is important to take some precautions to protect your personal and banking information:
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Beware of suspicious calls: Do not disclose your OTP, PIN or password to anyone calling you posing as a bank employee.
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Do not click on fake links: Avoid suspicious links received through SMS, email or WhatsApp.
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Keep an eye on bank account: Check account transactions and SMS alerts regularly.
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Keep passwords safe: Keep your internet banking password strong and do not share it with anyone.
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If in doubt, contact the Bank: If you suspect any suspicious transaction or fraud, inform the bank immediately. In case of financial cyber fraud, India's cyber crime helpline 1930 can also be contacted.