Big Banks notes the increase in cyberattack attempts

Sources said some major US banks have seen an increase in cyberattack attempts in recent weeks.

According to the Wall Street newspaper, the news comes at a time when the government is raising its warnings to financial institutions about bank cybersecurity and possible cyber threats, asking banks such as Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo to closely monitor hacker traffic for the weaknesses of their banking security networks.

Not only are banks prime targets because of the multitude of sensitive information about the consumers they hold, but also because an attack could cause turbulence in the market.

But a spokeswoman for FS-ISAC noted that there had been "no increased rise in cyber threats in the financial services sector."

However, US banks have long been preparing for a massive cyberattack. Last year, financial institutions began quietly to prepare a successful apocalyptic attack on their computers by hackers in an attempt to scare away panicked citizens.

Called Sheltered Harbor, the project currently includes banks and credit unions holding approximately 400 million US accounts. The project requires each member bank to offer its data so that it can be used by other companies if their computers are totally disabled by a cyberattack.

The bankers' concern is not that the pirates just fled with funds – another possibility is that they will simply hold funds hostage by finding ways to block them. Hackers could also threaten to destroy the data.

Such an attack could make a bank totally unable to function for days, even weeks or months, depending on the severity of the attack.

"Until now, most people think of cybercafé with regard to stealing a credit card," said Stuart Madnick, professor of information technology at MIT Sloan School. of Management. "What you're talking about now is a nuclear attack: if you can not go to the ATM to make it work."