Bank of Baroda investigates alleged data leak on dark web

Bank of Baroda is investigating an alleged data leak after nearly a terabyte of data reportedly linked to the bank surfaced on the dark web.

The dataset was first identified by cybersecurity researcher Srikanth Lakshmanan, founder of the consumer advocacy platform Cashless Consumer, who found the listing over the weekend.

The alleged leak reportedly includes customer identity documents, loan application and appraisal records, internal audit reports, branch documents, customer application forms and internal communications.

Some reports have additionally claimed the dataset contains Aadhaar numbers and account records tied to savings, current and loan accounts, as well as NRI and corporate banking customers.

Researchers have suggested a possible link to a threat actor known as TripleX, previously tied to attacks on Indonesian financial institutions, though the connection is unconfirmed.

Bank of Baroda said the incident originated from the compromise of an employee’s email account, not any breach of its core banking infrastructure.

“The bank’s core banking systems were not accessed and continue to remain secure,” the bank said, confirming a comprehensive forensic investigation had been launched.

The bank said it was working closely with relevant authorities as the probe into the alleged breach continues.

Bank of Baroda’s share price fell 1.50 per cent to Rs 240.35 on the NSE on July 28, as the alleged breach added to concerns following the lender’s weaker first-quarter FY27 results.

The bank said containment measures were implemented immediately once the breach was detected, and that it was complying with all applicable regulatory requirements during the ongoing probe.

Data breaches involving Indian financial institutions have drawn increasing regulatory attention in recent years, with lenders required to report significant cybersecurity incidents to sector regulators within stipulated timeframes.

Bank of Baroda is one of India’s largest public sector banks, with a network spanning thousands of branches across the country as well as international operations in several countries.

(Image: Photo by Raghavan2010, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)