Banco Santander S.A., one of the world’s largest financial organizations, has reported a data security incident compromising sensitive personal information of all its employees and some customers in Europe. The breach involved unauthorized access to a database hosted by a third-party provider.
In its recent announcement, Santander confirmed that the breach affected customers from Santander Chile, Spain, and Uruguay, as well as all current and some former employees. The compromised database did not contain transactional data or credentials that could allow unauthorized transactions, such as online banking details and account passwords. Consequently, Santander’s operations and systems remain unaffected, ensuring customers can continue to transact securely.
Santander immediately launched an investigation upon discovering the breach, implementing measures to contain the incident, including blocking the compromised access and enhancing fraud prevention controls. The bank has notified regulators and law enforcement and is working closely with them to address the situation.
Santander assured customers and employees in unaffected regions that their data remains secure. The bank is in the process of identifying the number of affected individuals and has begun directly contacting those impacted by the breach.
“We apologize for the concern this will understandably cause and are proactively contacting affected customers and employees directly,” Santander stated. Despite the lack of details on the nature of the compromised data or the identity of the attackers, Santander emphasizes its commitment to maintaining security and protecting sensitive information.
