Banco Santander confirms data breach at third-party provider, impacting Spain, Chile, and Uruguay

Banco Santander, a leading global financial services company headquartered in Madrid, Spain, has reported a data breach at a third-party provider, exposing client and employee data in Spain, Chile, and Uruguay. The Spanish banking giant assured that no transactional information or access credentials were compromised, and its operations and systems remain unaffected.

The bank disclosed, “We recently became aware of unauthorized access to a Santander database hosted by a third-party provider.” Santander acted swiftly to contain the breach, blocking the compromised access and enhancing fraud prevention measures to protect affected customers.

An investigation revealed that the breached data included certain information related to Santander customers in Chile, Spain, and Uruguay, as well as all current and former employees of the group. Santander confirmed that customer data in other markets and businesses were not impacted.

The bank emphasized that no transactional data or credentials, including online banking details and passwords, were part of the compromised database. This ensures that customers can continue to transact securely.

“We apologize for the concern this will understandably cause and are proactively contacting affected customers and employees directly,” stated Santander. The bank has also informed regulators and law enforcement, pledging continued cooperation.