State Bank of India says customer balances and core systems remain safe after identifying personally identifiable information in 3,897 records found during a preliminary review of material on the dark web.
State Bank of India said on Friday that a recent cyber incident tied to suspected data exposure has affected only a “very very” small number of customers and has not put customer balances at risk. The lender said the event has had no material effect on its IT systems, core operations, financial performance or business continuity, and added that it is taking steps to protect customer interests. According to the bank’s statement on X, the safety of customer money, data and trust remains its top priority.
The disclosure follows SBI’s filing on 21 October, when it said it had detected possible customer data exposure on the dark web. In a preliminary review of about 375,000 records, the bank identified 3,897 customer records containing personally identifiable information. Those records reportedly included names, mobile numbers, dates of birth, email addresses, home addresses, branch and customer identifiers, lead IDs and metadata linked to loan or lead files. The bank said it had immediately activated its cyber incident response and containment procedures and brought in an independent cybersecurity agency empanelled by CERT-In to assess the breach.
SBI said it first received alerts on 16 October from its threat intelligence provider, the Defence Cyber Agency and CERT-In. The bank said it still needs a detailed investigation to confirm the authenticity and completeness of the exposed material, trace its source and understand the scale of any risk to customers and the institution. It said remedial and preventive measures are under way, while it continues to monitor the situation and comply with regulatory requirements. Business Standard noted that the case comes amid a broader rise in cyber incidents affecting Indian banks and their technology partners.
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