Report: 10,000 people affected by bank breach in India

**By APD writer Rishika Chauhan **

NEW DELHI, February 23 (APD) - According to a report published in Asia Times, investigations have found that the card details of around 10,000 Punjab National Bank customers were sold through a website.

In the report, SaikatDatta states that, “Punjab National Bank has reported a data breach affecting as many as 10,000 credit and debit card customers, and security experts believe that sensitive information has been available for purchase through a website for at least three months.”

It further states that the revelationquestions, “security levels at the bank, which is already under stress over a reported US$1.77 billion fraud involving fake letters of guarantee that were allegedly used by leading jeweller NiravModi to raise funds from banks. “

According to the report, the bank learned about the problem only on Wednesday night through a company registered in Singapore called CloudSek Information Security.

Meanwhile the Congress has criticized the ruling BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) for not discovering and acting on the bank fraud earlier. NiravModi is also believed to have been a part of an Indian delegation to an international forum.

According to a report published in Hindustan Times, “BJP leaders admit in private that the NiravModi-Mehul-Choksi controversy is denting the image of the party, especially among the middle classes.”

“It stormed to power in 2014 on promise of providing a clean and corruption-free government, after the Manmohan Singh government became unpopular following a string of corruption scandals. Into his fourth year as PM, NarendraModi has managed to avoid any controversy and the BJP is treading cautiously so as to not to give the opposition an opportunity to create one” it further states.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)