Qatar National Bank investigating massive data leak

A data leak that exposes personal and banking details of as many as a million customers and claims to identify several spies, is being examined after reports surged online.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

27 April, 2016

The leak exposes details of several intelligence members [Creative Commons]

Qatar National Bank (QNB) is investigating an alleged hack that exposes as many as a million of its customers, including some identified as western intelligence service members, the bank has said.

QNB did not confirm whether the hack took place but assured customers it was looking into the claims.

"QNB Group places the highest priority on data security and deploying the strongest measures possible to ensure the integrity of our customers' information," the statement read.

"QNB is further investigating this matter in coordination with all concerned parties."

A huge data leak on Tuesday left as many as a million customers vulnerable to online fraud.

But the alleged 1.4GB trove of spreadsheets and text files, which contain banking and personal details of hundreds of thousands of people also expose several Al Jazeera staff, as well as others, as international spies.

A select 29 employees from the Qatar-based broadcaster are listed by name in the documents, with intimate details such as passwords, international bank transfers, as well as family images attached.

Three of the Al Jazeera staff whose details are selected have the word 'spy' appended to their names.

Among the folders categorising reports on banks, corporations, the ruling al-Thani family, police and defence organisations, is a folder marked "SPY, Intelligence".

Contained within are details of 12 account holders identified as working for espionage agencies, including two from France, one from the United States' Defence Intelligence Agency and one from Britain's MI6.

Sources have told The New Arab that the leak comes from old server data in 2011. The New Arab has been able to partly verify some of the information in the leak. We have as yet been unable to determine the total authenticity of the entire data dump.

QNB is one of the largest banks in the Middle East, and earlier this month reported a first quarter seven per cent increase in profits to almost $800 million, despite the impact of low global oil prices.