Recent failures security in the network of a merchant linked to Mastercard have put sensitive data of users of debit cards issued by six banks of USA. Between the compromised information they meet names, card numbers y expiration datesalthough no unauthorized access to the internal systems of banking institutions has been reported. Despite this, the exposed data could be used to carry out fraudulent transactionswhich has generated concern among customers.
The six affected banks—Mainstreet Bank, Savers Bank, The Village Bank, Watertown Savings Bank, Webster Five Cents Savings Bank y Eagle Bank—have faced the challenge of effectively communicating the incident to their customers. This has included sending notifications detailing the possible risks and the measures to take He accident has highlighted the need to strengthen the infrastructure of security in the ecosystem banking and in the associated businesses.
According to the financial portal The Daily Holdeach banco has adopted different strategies to address the problem and mitigate risks. Eagle Bank y Savers Bank are automatically replacing the affected cards. For its part, Webster Five Cents Savings Bank has decided to issue new cards mandatory, although without detailing the specific origin of the gap.
Watertown Savings Bank allows the customers request a new card if they consider it necessary, while Mainstreet Bank is urging its users to take precautions additional by monitoring your accounts and offers replacement cards on request.
Several banks have recommended to their customers be especially attentive to monitoring of his accounts for a period of 12 to 24 months. This surveillance is crucial to identify any suspicious activity that may arise from unauthorized access to the data. Additionally, you are urged to immediately report any unrecognized transaction.
The vulnerability was detected in a network of paid operated by a merchant associated with Mastercardalthough the identity of the merchant has not been publicly revealed. According to the reports presented by the banksthe unauthorized access occurred between August 2023 y May 2024which exposes a prolonged period during which the data could have been available for malicious actors. Despite this exposure, the banks affected have stressed that their own systems They were not compromised.
The impact economic y operational why is accident varies between banks affected. For example, Eagle Bankcon total assets valued at 615 million dollarshas stood out for its quick response when offering automatic card replacements and detailed guides to your customers.
This type of incidents It is not an isolated phenomenon within the banking sector y financial of USA. In recent years, multiple institutions have faced similar challenges due to security breaches in third parties suppliers. For example, in 2019the supermarket chain Target suffered an attack that compromised data credit cards y debit of more than 40 million customers. Likewise, in 2021the platform e-commerce Shopify reported that a malicious employee gained unauthorized access to data from pay miles of customers.
The history of these events has led to financial institutions to strengthen their cybersecurity measures and to collaborate with the authorities to mitigate the impact of future attacks. However, the challenge remains due to the increase in the sophistication of cyber attacks and dependence on third parties in the processing of financial data.
