National bank system still unrestored after cyber attack yesterday

KARACHI: The Pakistani government-owned and State Bank’s subsidiary National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) has on Sunday yet to restore its banking system, after it collapsed following a cyber-attack yesterday by an unknown source, which could mean delays in the salaries of public servants and government employees among other issues, ARY News reported.

According to the NBP sources privy to the development, the banking system conceded a malware attack yesterday and has collapsed ever since. A team of technical experts is trying to resolve the matter but has not succeeded so far.

Among other things to suffer due to the hiccup in the system are tax collections and pensions being paid. Since it’s a national bank, the system is down countrywide and its services are suspended everywhere, said sources.

National Bank of Pakistan suffers cyber attack

Yesterday, NBP reported a cyberattack that is being investigated, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) confirmed.

However, the central bank, SBP, said that no financial loss or data breach has been observed. The central bank further clarified that no other bank had reported such an incident.

“NBP has reported a cybersecurity-related incident which is being investigated. NBP has not observed any data breach or financial loss,” the central bank announced on its official Twitter handle.

“SBP is monitoring the situation closely to ensure safety and soundness of banking system,” it added.