Hackers have once again made headlines, this time targeting Santander, one of the world’s largest banks. Reports indicate that a group known as ShinyHunters, who recently claimed responsibility for hacking Ticketmaster, is now attempting to sell what they allege to be confidential data belonging to millions of Santander staff and customers.
The breach, which affects branches in Chile, Spain, and Uruguay, as well as current and former employees, has rattled the bank’s operations. Santander, with a global workforce of 200,000, including 20,000 in the UK, has confirmed the breach and is taking proactive steps to address the situation. They assure customers that while data has been accessed, critical transactional information and credentials necessary for account transactions, such as online banking details and passwords, remain secure.
According to the group’s claims, the stolen data encompasses a vast array of sensitive information, including bank account details, account numbers, balances, credit card numbers, and even HR information for Santander staff. While Santander has refrained from verifying the accuracy of these claims, ShinyHunters’ track record includes selling stolen data from prominent organizations like US telecoms firm AT&T.
The ripple effect of this breach extends beyond Santander. ShinyHunters have also targeted Ticketmaster, prompting collaboration between the Australian government and Ticketmaster to address the breach. Meanwhile, the FBI has stepped in to offer assistance in the investigation.
Despite skepticism from some experts, cybersecurity researchers at Hudson Rock suggest a potential link between the Santander and Ticketmaster breaches and a larger-scale hack targeting a cloud storage company named Snowflake. According to Hudson Rock, the Snowflake breach is believed to have occurred through the theft of a staff member’s login credentials.
Snowflake, acknowledging “potentially unauthorized access” to a “limited number” of customer accounts, maintains that the accessed demo account contained no sensitive data. The company asserts that there is no evidence suggesting the breach resulted from vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, or product breaches.
As the investigation unfolds, the cybersecurity landscape underscores the increasing sophistication and audacity of cybercriminals, prompting heightened vigilance and proactive measures from organizations worldwide.
