Haven't changed your debit card pin in a while? Do it now

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As many as 30 lakh debit cards are said to have been used in ATMs that are suspected to have exposed card and PIN details to malware at the back end, according to reports.

A timesofindia report stated that State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to reissue debit cards to six lakh customers who used their cards at suspect networks. Meanwhile, banks are also asking customers to change their ATM PIN. Further, many banks have been blocking international transactions that can be conducted without PIN, fearing security being compromised.

The timesofindia report further said that feared breach in the systems of Hitachi Payment Services, which manages ATM network processing for Yes Bank, has caused the panic. However, Yes Bank has maintained that no compromise had been detected in its ATM network. "Yes Bank has undertaken a review of its ATMs, and there is no evidence of a breach or compromise. Yes Bank continues to work with relevant stakeholders, including other public sector and private banks, and NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India), to ensure utmost safety and security of its ATM network and payment services which are completely safe to use," timesofindia quoted YES Bank as saying.

It may be noted that Yes Bank, in spite of having fewer number of ATMs, actually sees numerous third-party transactions on its machines. "The affected systems were quarantined and inspected and the cards that were exposed have been identified and each bank has taken action according to its risk management practices," a regulatory source told timesofindia.

Loney Antony, MD, Hitachi Payment Services, told the paper, "Prima facie the system does not appear to be compromised but I cannot comment until the final report is issued. I do not think it is necessary for any bank to reissue cards. Many banks have asked customers to change their PIN number, but this is a general practice to get customers to keep changing their password."