Hackers behind Qatar National Bank set to leak data from 'another big bank'

The hackers behind the Qatar National Bank (QNB) data breach, which involved the leak of 1.4 GB of sensitive information, have reportedly threatened to leak more data from yet another bank. According to a Kaspersky Lab security researcher, the hacker group is slated to leak more data in the coming days.

Mohammad Amin Hasbini, a senior security analyst at Kaspersky Lab Middle East, Turkey and Africa, told the Gulf News that there is an imminent threat of more data leaks from the hacker group behind the QNB breach. "They have announced that they are going to release data from another big bank dating back to 2001. This data could be used for ransomware. They have said they are going to make it public, either today or tomorrow. We are monitoring it," he added.

Turkish group Bozkurtlar, also known as Grey Wolves claimed responsibility of the QNB hack in a video which it posted online. "We are the ones who hacked the Qatar National Bank and more," a user behind a Twitter account (@bozkurthackers) told IBTimes UK. The Twitter account has since been suspended.

There is still uncertainty involving the motive for the QNB hack, especially given that the hackers are yet to make any financial demands. According to Hasbini, there may be a possibility of the cyberattack being related to the complex geopolitical situation in the region.

The Qatar National Bank data breach saw thousands of sensitive customer data, including customers' names, addresses, passwords and credit card information, leaked onto a file-sharing website. In addition to customer data, the data dump also included information on al Jazeera journalists and intelligence data on British agents. The files have since been removed, however, a separate, easy-to-access whistle-blowing site later posted the same information on its website.

Despite the hackers threat to target more banks and leak data, reports of additional breaches are yet to emerge.