Indian authorities seek report on hacking of 3.2 million debit cards

NEW DELHI, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) - - Indian government Friday sought a detailed report into data compromise of more than 3.2 million debit cards issued by its banks.

"I have sought a report in the debit card issue," Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told media. "The idea is to contain the damage."

The Indian government has initiated a probe to investigate how the breach happened. It has directed Reserve Bank of India and affected banks to submit a report on the compromise.

Following the security breach several banks, including the government-run State Bank of India (SBI), have recalled a number of cards and blocked many others suspected to have been compromised. It also advised customers to change their personal identification numbers.

The steps were taken following complaints of fraudulent withdrawals reported by customers.

Reports said the breach is said to have been caused by malware on an ATM network.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) that controls all retail payments systems in India said banks had received complaints from customers that their cards had been used fraudulently outside India.

The breach is said to have affected 19 banks in India including some private ones.

Indian banks have issued nearly 600 million debit cards. Endit