14 DAY TRIAL // The Reserve Bank of Australia is the latest major organization to report being targeted by sophisticated hackers. However, according to the bank’s representatives, no sensitive information was stolen in the attacks.
“As reported in today's media, the Bank has on occasion been the target of cyber attacks. The Bank has comprehensive security arrangements in place which have isolated these attacks and ensured that viruses have not been spread across the Bank's network or systems,” Reserve Bank of Australia stated.
“At no point have these attacks caused the Bank's data or information to be lost or its systems to be corrupted. The Bank's IT systems operate safely, securely and with a high degree of resilience,” the bank added.
“The Bank takes cyber security and its potential consequences extremely seriously. As part of its extensive efforts to ensure that security arrangements are best practice, the Bank routinely consults with the Defence Signals Directorate and draws on the expertise of specialist private firms.”
Sources have told the Australian Financial Review that a piece of malicious software developed in China has been used in the attacks. However, the financial institution’s representatives haven’t commented on these allegations.
The Australian Financial Review reported that the malware utilized in the attacks was apparently seeking sensitive information on G20 negotiations.
In a freedom of information disclosure from December 2012, RBA revealed that it had been the target of a sophisticated cyberattack back in 2011. At the time, the attackers sent a malicious email to several staff members.
The malware attached to the bogus strategic planning emails was not detected by antivirus software. The malicious element could have gained access to sensitive information.
The fact that China has been linked to the attacks is not surprising, considering that over the past few months, the country has been said on numerous occasions to have been involved in such operations. However, Chinese officials keep denying any implication in cyber espionage campaigns.