State Bank of India investigates dark web leak involving thousands of user records

State Bank of India is investigating the suspected exposure of nearly 3,900 customer records containing private details on the dark web. The bank received alerts about the leak on October 16 from its threat intelligence service provider, the Defence Cyber Agency, and CERT-In.

Data Details

A preliminary check of roughly 3.75 lakh records found online pointed to 3,897 customer entries holding sensitive information. This exposed data includes registered mobile numbers, dates of birth, full names, gender, email addresses, and residential addresses. The leaked files also contain branch identifiers, Customer Information File numbers, lead IDs, and metadata tied to loan records.

Bank Response

SBI stated that a detailed check is necessary to confirm if the leaked data is real and complete, find the source of the leak, and measure the risks for customers and the bank. The bank activated its cyber incident response protocols and hired an independent cybersecurity agency approved by CERT-In to run a full review.

Business Impact

The bank reported that this incident has caused no harm to its core business operations, money matters, or daily work flow. SBI is watching the situation closely and applying steps to fix the issue according to rules set by regulators.

Context

Banks and large financial institutions are frequent targets for data breaches because they hold vast amounts of valuable personal and financial user data. Cybersecurity teams use threat intelligence providers and CERT-In alerts to quickly detect and contain leaks before they can disrupt core financial systems.