Officials have warned of a possible cyber-attack on Bangladesh's financial and other key institutions' computer systems during the Eid vacations. According to a statement issued by the Digital Security Agency, the affected authorities must install or update anti-DDOS hardware and software.
Officials believe the warning was sent by the government's specialized cyber-threat agency as a global cyberwar erupts in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with NATO assisting the latter with arms support.
The Bangladesh Computer Council's e-Government Computer Incident Response Team (BGD e-GOV CIRT) also recommends all key information facilities' internal systems be checked and monitored.
Following the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Tarique M Barkatullah, director (operations) of the Digital Security Agency and project director of the BGD e-GOV CIRT, stated “hackers from both sides are using important information infrastructures of different countries to spread botnets and malware and attack each other.”
Botnets are computer networks infected with malware (such as computer viruses, key loggers, and other malicious code or malware) and remotely controlled by criminals, either for monetary gain or to launch assaults on websites or networks.
BGD e-Gov CIRT discovered over 1400 IP numbers used in Russia after analyzing the warning message issued by the Russian Computer Security Incident Response Team.
According to the CIA, hackers are using these IPs to spread propaganda and launch distributed denial of service (DDoS) operations.
Tareq M Barkatullah, project director of BGD e-Gov CIRT, remarked in this reference:
“The country's afflicted financial institutions and public service suppliers are being hampered in providing its usual services due to the exploitation of these IP-enabled Bangladeshi servers."
According to the Financial Express, Prof Dr. Md Salim Uddin, chairman of the executive committee of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL), several financial institutions have been targeted by cyber-attacks as a result of the current crisis between Ukraine and Russia.
IBBL is well-prepared to thwart any cyber-attack because it is always adopting new technological solutions. Among the internal systems, he emphasized strengthening cyber-security with new tech solutions and monitoring systems. To prevent all types of cyber threats, financial institutions should join an organization or platform to improve cooperation and integration.
He further urges the government to expand collaboration and support in this area in order to combat rising cyber-threats in the future.
