Revolut: Smartphone bank affected by hacker attack

The fintech company Revolut was recently hit by a hacker attack. Data from around 50,000 customers is said to have been tapped in the process, despite the fact that the fintech company had taken immediate action.

Hacker attack on Revolut

These days, the British smartphone bank Revolut turned with an email to existing customers, in which they had to admit a hacker attack. It said it immediately identified and isolated the cyberattack and assured customers that no money had been stolen. “Your money is absolutely safe, as always,” said the email, which was published via Reddit.

Only 0.16 percent of all customers are said to have been affected by the hacker attack, which allowed the attackers to grab personal data. Claims at least Revolut in the mail.

The strange thing is that in a communication from the bank to the supervisory authorities in Lithuania – with whose banking license the fintech company operates in Europe – the matter already looks quite different.

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But more than 50,000 customers affected

As TechCrunch reported, Revolut had said in its notice to authorities in Lithuania that 50. 150 customers affected. Which, again, is far more than the 0.16 percent they reported in the email – converted from the current figures of 20 million customers, this would equate to 32,000 affected.

20,687 of those affected come from the European Economic Area, while 379 are from Lithuania. Revolut did not want to reveal which data was actually stolen during the incident, even when asked by TechCrunch. However, it assured once again that no money was stolen.

Credit card details, PIN numbers or passwords are also said not to have been tapped during the hacker attack, at least according to the email sent to those affected. In the notification to the authorities in Lithuania, this point looks different again.

Here, Revolut states that the hackers were able to access at least some of the customers’ card payment data, names, addresses, e-mail addresses and even telephone numbers.

Very contradictory statements, then. Meanwhile, Revolut warns its customers about the increased risk from phishing attempts. They would not make any calls or send any text messages asking customers to disclose their data. Nevertheless, after the hacker attack, special caution is now called for.