State Bank of India has officially confirmed the suspected exposure of 3.8 lakh customer records containing personally identifiable information on the dark web, as reported by The Economic Times. The bank was alerted on October 16 by its threat-intelligence service provider, the Defence Cyber Agency and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) about the suspected exposure of customer data. Preliminary analysis revealed that 3,897 customer records containing sensitive personal data were identified from the approximately 375,000 records available on the dark web. The exposed information reportedly included registered mobile numbers, dates of birth, names, gender, email and residential addresses, branch and customer information file (CIF) identifiers, lead IDs and metadata associated with loan and lead records.
State Bank of India has assured customers that their money remains completely safe following the suspected data leak, according to the bank's latest statement on X. The country's largest bank emphasized that customer balances are completely safe and the bank is taking all possible steps to protect the interests of its valued customers. SBI reiterated that protecting customers' financial assets, personal data and trust remains its highest priorities. This assurance comes as the bank continues its investigation into the suspected exposure of customer information on the dark web, providing crucial reassurance to affected customers during the ongoing security assessment.
The data breach disclosure follows a claim by cybersecurity monitoring account CyberPulse that a threat actor using the name Siriusim had leaked documents and personal data allegedly linked to SBI. As per The Times of India, the post claimed the dataset contained 3,75,000 rows in CSV files and 2,722 PDF documents, including customer information, loan applications, supporting documents, account-opening forms and addresses. This additional information provides more detailed insights into the scope of the compromised data and the specific threat actor involved in the breach.
State Bank of India has officially confirmed the suspected exposure of 3.8 lakh customer records containing personally identifiable information on the dark web, as reported by The Economic Times. The bank immediately activated its cyber-incident response and containment protocols and engaged an independent CERT-In-empanelled cybersecurity agency to conduct a comprehensive assessment and investigate the nature and extent of the alleged compromise. During the preliminary analysis, 4,000 customer records containing sensitive information were identified from the approximately 375,000 records available on the dark web. SBI stated that a detailed investigation was required to establish the authenticity and completeness of the exposed data, determine the potential source and extent of the exposure, and assess the associated risks to customers and the Bank. The bank confirmed that this does not have any material impact on Bank's Core business operations, financial performance or business continuity.
Despite the bank's assurance that customer balances are safe, SBI customers should remain alert to suspicious calls, emails and messages claiming to be from the bank. The bank advises customers never to share their OTPs, ATM PINs or internet banking passwords, and to verify requests for KYC updates through official SBI channels. Anyone who notices an unauthorised transaction should contact the bank immediately. Suspected cyber fraud can also be reported through India's cybercrime helpline at 1930 or the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. The investigation into the suspected data exposure remains ongoing, with the bank continuing to monitor the situation and protect customer interests.
