Compromised email led to data leak, says Bank of Baroda

MUMBAI: A recent data leak following a cyberattack reported by Bank of Baroda pertained to information in one employee’s email account and that the bank’s systems were robust and unaffected, the bank said.“The bank has robust information security protocols in place. The incident involved compromise of an employee’s email account, resulting in unauthorised access to certain data. The matter was promptly identified, and immediate containment measures were implemented. The bank’s core banking systems were not accessed and continue to remain secure.”The bank said a comprehensive forensic investigation has been initiated and that it is working with relevant authorities in accordance with regulatory requirements, adding that it remains committed to maintaining information security standards and safeguarding customer interests.

The bank said a comprehensive forensic investigation has been initiated

The issue first surfaced after posts on social media platform X flagged a potential data leak linked to the bank, claiming that one terabyte of data, including personal Aadhaar details of customers, had been accessed in an unauthorised manner, following which internet security websites reported the availability of a dataset purportedly linked to the breach.Srikanth Lakshmanan, founder of Cashless Consumer, a consumer collective working on digital payments to increase awareness, said the exposed dataset, still accessible a day after the breach, contained customer details such as names and contact information, banking-related data fields linked to accounts, identity-related information including Aadhaar-linked data, and internal documents from the bank’s systems. He said the dataset was downloadable through an active link and shared sample screenshots indicating access.