Cyber attack attempts continue, BB remains cautious

After threatening cyber-attack in the country some hackers have already committed Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks on some websites and continue attempting more.

Issuing a warning about the attack, on Sunday 12 organisations sought advice from Bangladesh Government’s e-Government Computer Incident Response Team (BGD e-GOV CIRT). BGD e-Gov CIRT in a notification last Friday warned about the threat of cyber-attacks in the country.

It is said that there was a threat of a cyber-attack in the cyber world of Bangladesh on 15 August. Hacker groups calling themselves 'hacktivists' have announced that they are targeting Bangladesh and Pakistan.They claim themselves to be an Indian hacker group.

BGD E-Gov CIRT project director Mohammad Saiful Alam Khan told Prothom Alo on Sunday that the warning was issued so that the concerned people can be protected in their respective fields and take necessary steps. Since the warning, 12 organisations have asked them what they should and can do about cyber security.

According to the sources of security experts, the hacker group carried out 'DDos' attacks on the websites of various organizations in the country and kept the sites 'down'. DDos (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is the act of sending 'traffic' (usage) to a website simultaneously through multiple devices to slow or down the site.

In case of such an attack, the respective site cannot be accessed. The source further said, on Saturday four government organisations' sites were down for some time.

Saiful Alam Khan said that this hacker group is continuing to attack DDos. On Friday and Saturday, they attacked the websites of some companies in the country. He further said that the country of the hackers has been identified, but efforts are on to find out their IP (Internet Protocol) addresses and who they are.

He noted that no agency has contacted about anything suspicious since the warning was issued. BGD E-Gov CIRT about issuing warnings across the country said they had only alerted government institutions internally, then people at private institutions and individuals would not know.

Hackers are always looking for targets to attack. It is a matter of national security. A warning has been issued from CIRT, asking everyone to be vigilant and strengthen their security measures.

Experts said despite commencing digital or automatic service in many organisations in Bangladesh there is a lack of cyber security. Some organisations lack skilled manpower and technology in this regard.

The issue of cyber and personal information security came to the fore last month, when the information of millions of people was leaked from a government website, according to the US online media outlet TechCrunch.

After the incident, state minister for information technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak said that the data leak happened due to weakness.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Bank also asked banks of the country to remain alert after BGD e-Gov CIRT had issued a warning. According to Bangladesh Bank sources, the central bank will hold a cyber security meeting on Tuesday with banks that provide services like National Payment Switch Bangladesh (NPSB), Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), Bangladesh Automated Clearing House (BACH), Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT). There will be a consultation meeting on what to do.

Regarding the issue, Pubali Bank managing director Mohammad Ali told Prothom Alo, "We have not yet received any instructions from Bangladesh Bank. However, we have kept cyber security strong at all times. Each infrastructure has a separate security system."

He also said they have a roadmap for cyber security, there should be no problem if they follow it.

Mohammad Ali feels that it is important to have skilled and knowledgeable manpower for cyber security. It is not possible in one day. All organisations have to make a plan and go ahead.