One of the world’s largest banks says a data breach has exposed information about both its customers and employees.
In a statement, Santander said it was aware of “unauthorized access” to a third-party database containing information on an undisclosed number of customers and employees.
The bank, which has total assets of $1.8 trillion and operates in 10 markets in Europe and the Americas, said customers from Santander, Chile, Spain and Uruguay were affected.
“Following an investigation, we have now confirmed that certain information relating to Santander Chile, Spain and Uruguay customers, as well as all current and some former Santander employees of the group, was accessed. Customer data in all other Santander markets and businesses will not be affected.”
So far, the bank has not disclosed any details about the sensitive data that was made public. She only notes that “transaction data” and “references” are not public.
“No transaction data, nor any login details that allow transactions on accounts to take place, are included in the database, including online banking details and passwords. The bank’s operations and systems are unaffected, so customers can continue to transact safely.
We apologize for any concerns this will understandably cause and are proactively contacting affected customers and employees directly. We have also notified regulators and law enforcement and will continue to work closely with them.”
The bank says it has taken steps to contain the incident, including “blocking the compromised access to the database and establishing additional fraud prevention controls to protect affected customers.”
Santander’s data breach comes weeks after JPMorgan Chase disclosed a breach that compromised 451,809 customers’ retirement data, which included names, addresses, Social Security numbers and bank account numbers.
In that case, Chase says there is currently no evidence that the data has been misused.
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