SBI Probes Dark Web Exposure Of Customer Information (Img: IANS)
New Delhi: State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, on Wednesday confirmed a data breach after identifying 3,897 customer records containing personally identifiable information (PII) among data found on the dark web. The bank said it has launched an investigation to establish the authenticity and extent of the exposure.
In an exchange filing, SBI said it received alerts earlier in the week from its Threat Intelligence Service Provider, the Defence Cyber Agency and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) about the suspected exposure of customer information.
A preliminary analysis of approximately 375,000 records available on the dark web identified 3,897 records containing customers’ personal information, the bank said.
The exposed information reportedly included registered mobile numbers, dates of birth, names, gender, email addresses and residential addresses. It also contained branch and Customer Information File (CIF) identifiers, lead IDs, metadata linked to loan and lead records, and other related files.
SBI said it had activated its cyber incident response and containment protocols and appointed an independent cybersecurity agency empanelled by CERT-In to conduct a comprehensive assessment.
The investigation will examine the authenticity and completeness of the exposed data, identify its possible source and determine the extent of the exposure and associated risks.
The bank said the incident had no material impact on its core business operations, financial performance or business continuity. Its core functions continue to operate normally, without disruption.
SBI added that it was implementing appropriate remedial and preventive measures to address the incident.
Meanwhile, the bank’s shares traded largely flat at around Rs 970 on the BSE at approximately 10 am on Wednesday. The stock has recorded a 52-week high of Rs 1,234.80 and a low of Rs 891.55, according to exchange data. It declined around 12 per cent over the past year but gained over a five-year period.
Earlier in the week, an unidentified hacker group operating under the name ‘Siriusim’ claimed to have obtained confidential customer information allegedly linked to SBI. The purported data included personal details, loan applications and account-opening documents.
The claim was highlighted by cybersecurity monitoring account CyberPulse56 in a post on X.
According to the post, the group claimed to possess around 375,000 data entries in CSV format and 2,722 PDF documents associated with the country’s largest public sector lender. SBI’s investigation is expected to establish the authenticity and scope of the information reportedly exposed.
