Tension as Zenith Bank admits hackers accessed customer information

There is growing concern in Nigeria’s banking industry following the confirmation by Zenith Bank that hackers gained unauthorised access to some of its customers’ personal information.

The bank disclosed this in a notification issued to its customers on Wednesday, amid complaints from some account holders over possible exposure of their data.

Zenith Bank said it had commenced an investigation to determine the extent and circumstances surrounding the unauthorised access.

According to the financial institution, the incident was linked to a wider cyberattack reportedly targeting organisations across different sectors globally.

“Zenith Bank is investigating unauthorised access to limited customer information, including email addresses and phone numbers. This incident is part of a broader, global cyber-attack targeting multiple international organizations across various sectors,” Zenith Bank stated.

The development comes months after reports emerged that hackers had allegedly accessed customer data belonging to Remita, Sterling Bank, Providus Bank and other financial institutions in Nigeria.

Recall that in March that the affected organisations were among several companies whose systems were allegedly compromised in the cyberattack.

In April, the Federal Government announced plans to investigate the reported data breach.

However, as of the time of filing this report, no public update had been issued on the outcome of the investigation.