Customers at several small-sized banks affected as tech provider C-Edge suffers ransomware attack
The Hindu
Ransomware attack on C-Edge impacts banking services, but no financial loss reported; restoration work underway.
Customers of around 300 small-sized lenders across the country have not been able to access payments services like withdrawing cash at ATMs or using UPI due to a ransomware attack at technology service provider (TSP) C-Edge Technologies.
The impact was felt by customers of cooperative banks and regional rural banks which depend on C-Edge, a joint venture between SBI and TCS, officials said, adding that other banking services were functioning normally.
The issues are being faced for the last two days after the discovery of a breach of the system at C-Edge, they said, adding that necessary precautions starting with isolating the C-Edge system had to be taken to protect the larger payments system.
There has, however, not been any report of financial loss because of the breach, they said.
“C-Edge Technologies….has been possibly impacted by a ransomware attack impacting a few of their systems,” the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) said in a late evening statement, adding that it had to temporarily isolate C-Edge from accessing the retail payment systems operated by NPCI.
Restoration work is being undertaken on a war footing along with C-Edge Technologies and a necessary security review is in process, it added.
A senior industry official, meanwhile, said a ransomware has been found in the system and isolated, following which a third party audit was conducted. If all goes to plan, the system should be running by Thursday morning or afternoon, he added.