The bank Santander suffered a massive data breach of its clients, employees and former employees in Uruguayas well as in Chili and Spainfollowing unauthorized access to the computer systems of one of its external technology providers.
Santander announced that it took measures to prevent further leaks and scams from occurring, according to a statement sent to the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) from Spain. “The bank immediately implemented measures to manage the incident, such as blocking access to the database and strengthening fraud prevention to protect customers,” reported one of the largest banks in the eurozone, in a release.
According to what has emerged so far, those affected are clients and employees in Spain, Uruguay and Chile. It is unknown if other countries, such as Argentina where Santander has one of the largest portfolios, were affected.
The attacked databases did not contain transactional information or access credentials or internet banking passwords, which makes it impossible for the attackers to operate with the bank. Furthermore, the systems continue to function normally, so customers can continue to operate safely. , reported El Economista.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), The financial sector is “an attractive target” for cyber attacks due to greater digitization and increased political tensions. In the last 20 years, it suffered more than 20,000 attacks globally, causing losses of at least $12 billion.
Source: Ambito
