Fear of cyberattack on banks yet again, warning issued
Rupali Bank has suspended its ATM booth services from 11 pm to 8 am
The Ministry of Finance on Thursday issued a warning of possible cyberattacks on banks, asking them to take precautionary measures.
After receiving a letter in this regard, state-owned Rupali Bank has suspended its ATM booth service from 11 pm to 8 am.
It is not clear how long the ATM booth would remain closed. The service will be launched as soon as the threat of attack is eliminated, sources in the bank said.
The letter from the Financial Institutions Division reads, "In 2016, Beagle Boys – a North Korea-based hacker group – involved in central bank reserve hacking, could again hack ATM booths and SWIFT networks in various banks in Bangladesh."
When asked about the warning of cyberattacks, Syed Mahbubur Rahman, former chairman of the Association of Bankers Bangladesh and managing director of Mutual Trust Bank, said they have not yet received any letter in this regard.
Maybe, the central bank will send it to the private banks in a day or two, he said, adding that the letter has been given to the public banks for now.
"A cyberattack does not happen with an announcement. Whether or not there is a threat of a cyberattack, private banks are always ready to deal with those," he added.
In August this year, the Bangladesh Bank issued a warning against cyberattacks on banks. At that time, some banks limited their online services while others stopped money withdrawal services from ATM booths.