Latest news about Bitcoin and all cryptocurrencies. Your daily crypto news habit.
According to a recent public statement published by Banco Estado â one of the countryâs three largest banks â the bank was hit by powerful ransomware. The incident forced it to shut down its operations nationwide.
What happened?
Hacking attacks against banks and other financial institutions are not unheard of. However, more often than not, the banksâ advanced security systems manage to repel the attackers and protect their customersâ funds and private date.
Unfortunately, however, some attackers do manage to find a way to slip by the security. This is what happened recently to Chileâs only public bank, Banco Estado.
The shutdown, as well as the announcement, came yesterday, September 7th. Meanwhile, the ransomware was investigated and the investigation uncovered that the attack was launched by the well-known gang called REvil.
InformaciĂłn importante sobre nuestra red de atenciĂłn pic.twitter.com/CfFeb9tCzK
â BancoEstado (@BancoEstado) September 7, 2020
Reportedly, the ransomware came from an Office document that was sent to an employee. The unsuspecting worker opened the file, only to have their device â as well as the rest of the system â infected.
The bank immediately contacted the countryâs authorities, who then proceeded to issue an alert, notifying the public sector of potential threats.
Chile just increased the cyber security alert. pic.twitter.com/3lcYYNK6zZ
â Hagakure (@fortunateson71) September 6, 2020
What is known so far?
As for Banco Estado itself, IT experts assessed the situation, claiming that it is impossible for the bank to continue operating on Monday. They stated that the damage might be even worse than what it originally seemed.
Fortunately, over the course of the day, the bank managed to reestablish as many as 21 of its branches, although they were only providing limited services. Only an hour later, however, the bank shut down the services again, for security reasons.
Ya contamos con 21 sucursales operativas a lo largo del paĂs y atenderĂĄn hasta las 16hrs.En ellas puedes realizar trĂĄmites de caja, como depĂłsitos y giros. RevĂsalas a continuaciĂłn đđœ pic.twitter.com/4e4ELXI5B9
â BancoEstado (@BancoEstado) September 7, 2020
As for REvil, it is a known group that often steals data from their victims, and then lists it on its own dark web website, where it offers it to the highest bidder willing to pay in cryptocurrency Monero (XMR).
The post Chile bank shuts down operations after being hit by ransomware appeared first on Invezz.
Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of Bitcoin Insider. Every investment and trading move involves risk - this is especially true for cryptocurrencies given their volatility. We strongly advise our readers to conduct their own research when making a decision.