Few new details have been made available in a Standard Bank update on the security incident first reported on 23 March 2026.
The incident involved unauthorised access to the bank’s systems.
Although some customers have reported issues accessing or linking their accounts, Standard Bank says its banking systems remain secure and operational, and available to all our clients and employees.
Teams within the bank, together with external consultants, continue to investigate the incident.
At this time, the Standard Bank believes information that has been exposed includes names, identity numbers and company registration numbers.
The bank warns customers that cybercriminals could use this information to impersonate customers or contact them fraudulently, by emails, messages or calls that appear genuine. They could also attempt to use customer details without permission.
It advises customers to follow good security practices, including:
- Update banking passwords on digital banking platforms as well as social media platforms.
- Enable digital authentication on the Standard Bank mobile banking app.
- Contact the bank or a relationship manager immediately if they notice any suspicious activity on bank accounts or cards.
- Never share personal information such as passwords and PINs when asked to do so by anyone via phone, fax, text messages or email.
- Use strong unique passwords and enable biometric authentication where possible.
- Register with the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service for protective registration. This is a free service. If anyone tries to apply for any banking related products with a customer’s identity number, it will be declined or referred for further review. Visit https://www.safps.org.za/Home/OurServices_ApplyProtectiveRegistration
- Verify any unexpected email, SMS or call asking for sensitive information by contacting the bank through trusted channels.
- Avoid clicking on suspicious links or unfamiliar websites URLs.
Meanwhile Standard Bank subsidiary Liberty has been silent on its IT breach, apart from an initial warning to customers whose data was exposed, and has not shared details of what information or systems have been breached.