National/Alive News: The State Bank of India (SBI) is investigating a suspected data leak after personal information linked to 3,897 customers was identified in a dataset found on the dark web. The bank disclosed the incident in a stock exchange filing on October 21, stating that a preliminary review of around 3.75 lakh records had identified the exposed information.
The data reportedly includes customers’ names, mobile numbers, email IDs, dates of birth, residential addresses, gender, branch details, Customer Information File (CIF) identifiers and loan-related information.
SBI said it received alerts on October 16 from its threat intelligence service provider, the Defence Cyber Agency and CERT-In. The bank has activated its incident response procedures and appointed an independent cybersecurity agency to investigate the exposure.
Does this mean bank accounts have been hacked?
Not necessarily. SBI’s preliminary findings do not establish that account passwords, PINs, transaction details or funds have been compromised. The investigation is continuing to determine the data’s source, authenticity and extent.
What should customers do?
Account holders should never share OTPs, PINs or passwords with anyone. They should monitor transactions, keep banking alerts active, verify suspicious calls through official SBI channels and check credit reports for unfamiliar loans. Suspected cyber fraud should be reported immediately by calling 1930 or visiting cybercrime.gov.in.
SBI said the incident has not materially affected its business operations or financial performance. Customers should remain alert without assuming their accounts have been hacked.
