CPI(M) MP A A Rahim wrote to Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, seeking an independent investigation into the reported exposure of 3,897 State Bank of India (SBI) customer records on the dark web.
He stressed the need to ensure that institutions entrusted with citizens’ financial security adequately protect their personal information. The bank said it learnt of the incident on October 16 through its threat intelligence provider, the Defence Cyber Agency and the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).
On October 21, SBI informed the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange that it had suffered “an incident involving the loss of certain data,” with 3,897 customer records containing personal information identified in a larger trove of about 3.75 lakh records on the dark web. In his letter, Rahim said the incident raised concerns about the adequacy of data protection and cybersecurity safeguards at public-sector banks. “While the bank has indicated that its core operations remain unaffected, the absence of disruption to banking services does not diminish the seriousness of the potential compromise of customers’ personal information,” Rahim wrote, stressing that the incident’s implications extended beyond its impact on the bank’s operations.
He urged the finance ministry to ensure a comprehensive and independent investigation, with clear timelines to identify the source and extent of the suspected breach.
“SBI should take immediate steps to directly notify all affected customers through accessible channels for reporting suspected fraud, and extend appropriate assistance to those at risk,” he added.
