CIMB Clicks ‘kena hacked’ concern: Here are 4 things you need to know

Over the weekend, there were grave concerns about CIMB Clicks’ security. A couple of CIMB customers had posted on Facebook that their bank accounts were being emptied through multiple transactions in the past few days. Adding more to the confusion is the appearance of a Google reCAPTCHA feature on the login page of CIMB Clicks. 

Here’s a recap of what we know so far. 

Debit Card Transactions

At the moment, most of the alleged cases involved debit cards and unauthorised transactions via PayPal. Interestingly, one of the victims had reported that he has never created a PayPal account before. It was also alleged that you can add a CIMB card to Paypal without mobile number verification. 

Alleged stolen card information

On last Wednesday, ZDNet security reporter, Catalin Cimpanu, had tweeted that an alleged hacker had bought a large stash of card numbers and was trying to look for a cash-out partner to target CIMB Bank. 

https://twitter.com/campuscodi/status/1072550329718210563

Do note that we can’t confirm if this is linked to the current unauthorised debit card transactions issue. 

reCAPTCHA for added security

Many were also surprised to see a reCAPTCHA feature that was introduced on the login pages over the weekend. Some had doubts if they have landed on a genuine CIMB Clicks website and had urged others not to log in. 

Hey @CIMB_Assists @CIMBMalaysia kindly investigate if this is true. People lost money after use cimb app with recaptha. Someone hack and use to buy through paypal. And since when ur login page got recaptcha?https://t.co/TEsFPYkVqg pic.twitter.com/Qd1pOJiPtf

— Faris|K (@_kesatria) December 16, 2018

CIMB has confirmed via social media that they have enabled reCAPTCHA as an added security precaution. In case you didn’t know, reCAPTCHA is a feature by Google that’s designed to fight bots and potential spam. If a visitor is deemed suspicious, it will perform a test to confirm that a human is accessing the website. 

This isn’t entirely new and some online banking platforms in Australia and New Zealand are using Google reCAPTCHA.

Successful login with “Wrong password”

It was also alleged that CIMB Clicks accounts can be accessed with the wrong password. The video below was circulating online but it is worth pointing out that you’ll need to enter the first 8 characters correctly before you can login. If a person tries to login to your account, that means they would need to know your actual password first. It is recommended that you use a complicated password with a mixture of uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols. 

Nevertheless, it is still a concern which CIMB needs to clarify. Prior to this, CIMB Clicks has a password limit of 8 characters but they have increased the limit to more than 8 characters starting today. 

UPDATE: According to CIMB, it is normal to be able to login with additional characters added to the password. 

We have reached out to CIMB’s Corporate Communications department for further clarification. We’ll update once we have gotten an official response. 

UPDATE: CIMB has issued an official statement and they assured that their systems remain secure.