3.2 Million debit card are at risks

Banks in India will either replace or ask users to change the security codes of as many as 3.2 million debit cards in what’s emerging as one of the biggest ever breaches of financial data in India, people aware of the matter said. Several victims have reported unauthorised usage from locations in China.

Of the cards, 2.6 million are said to be on the Visa and Master-Card platform and 600,000 on the RuPay platform. The worst-hit of the card-issuing banks are State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, YES Bank and Axis Bank, the people said.

The breach is said to have originated in malware introduced in systems of Hitachi Payment Services, enabling fraudsters to steal information allowing them to steal funds. Hitachi, which provides ATM, point of sale (PoS) and other services.