Zenith Bank alerts customers after cyber incident exposed contact details

Zenith Bank has disclosed that it is investigating unauthorised access to limited customer information, including email addresses and phone numbers, following a cyber incident the bank said is linked to a broader global attack targeting multiple organisations.

The bank disclosed this in an email sent to customers on August 4, 2026, which was obtained by Nairametrics.

In the email, Zenith Bank said its banking services and digital channels remain secure and fully operational, indicating that the incident did not disrupt its core banking operations.

What they are saying

In the email seen by Nairametrics, the bank said it activated its incident response protocols immediately after detecting the breach and has continued its cybersecurity response while maintaining normal banking operations.

• “Upon discovery, we promptly activated our incident response protocols, cybersecurity actions and remediation efforts.”

The bank also reiterated that its banking services and digital channels remain secure and fully operational.

• Zenith Bank urged customers to be vigilant against phishing attempts and other social engineering attacks that may arise following the incident.
• The bank advised customers not to disclose their passwords, PINs, One-Time Passwords (OTPs), or other security credentials through emails, text messages, or phone calls.

The bank said it remains committed to safeguarding customer information and thanked customers for their continued trust and confidence.

More insights

Zenith Bank’s disclosure comes amid a broader rise in cyber security incidents across Africa, with recent research suggesting that artificial intelligence is making cyber attacks faster, more sophisticated, and harder to detect.

• According to INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026, AI is now enabling 55% of reported cybercrimes across the continent, allowing criminal networks to automate phishing campaigns, identity theft, and other digital attacks at scale.
• The report, which surveyed 36 African member countries, said cybercrime losses across Africa more than doubled from $192 million in 2024 to $484 million in 2025, reflecting a shift from isolated cyber incidents to increasingly organised and cross-border cyber operations.
• Despite the growing threat landscape, Nigeria’s reported digital payment fraud losses declined sharply in 2025.

According to The Compliance Reckoning: Regulating Financial Services in the Age of AI report, payment fraud losses fell by more than 50% to N25.85 billion in 2025 from N52.26 billion in 2024, suggesting that banks and payment providers have strengthened fraud detection and security controls even as cyber threats become more advanced.

What you should know

Zenith Bank is not the only Nigerian institution to report a cyber security incident this year, as both government agencies and private sector organisations have faced attacks targeting digital systems and customer data.

• In mid-April 2026, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) disclosed a security breach involving unauthorised access to parts of its systems and advised users to update their login credentials as a precaution. The agency subsequently shut down its online portal temporarily between April 17 and April 20, 2026, for scheduled maintenance and security measures.

Earlier in the year, a threat group known as ByteToBreach claimed responsibility for cyber attacks targeting Sterling Bank and Remita, alleging that customer data had been compromised. The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) later opened formal investigations into both entities.

The disclosure by Zenith Bank, one of Nigeria’s largest lenders by assets and profitability, has renewed attention on cyber resilience across the banking sector, particularly as financial institutions continue to expand digital banking services.

The bank has not yet released its first-half 2026 financial results, but its latest publicly available earnings showed a strong performance in the first quarter.

For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, Zenith Bank reported an unaudited pre-tax profit of N360.92 billion, representing a modest year-on-year increase from the corresponding period in 2025.