MUMBAI: IndiaтАЩs largest public sector bank, the State Bank of India (SBI), has officially confirmed a major data breach involving customer data. With over 53 crore account holdersтАФmeaning every third Indian is an SBI customerтАФthis is being viewed as one of the most critical security incidents in the country’s banking history.
What Happened?
- The Alerts: On October 16, 2026, SBI received urgent inputs from top agencies, including CERT-In, the Defence Cyber Agency, and its Threat Intelligence Provider, warning that customer data was exposed on the dark web.
- The Admission: After five days of internal evaluation, SBI formally informed the stock exchanges about the data loss on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.
- Current Action: The bank has hired a specialized CERT-InтАУempanelled cyber security agency to investigate how and where the leak originated.
тЪая╕П Critical Advisory for Customers:
If you have an SBI account, security experts recommend taking these immediate actions:
- Change Credentials: Update your NetBanking passwords and ATM PINs right away.
- Enable 2FA: Turn on Two-Factor Authentication on the YONO app.
- Beware of Scams: Do not click on any suspicious links or share OTPs over phone calls.
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