Op Icarus: Anonymous launches DDoS attacks on international banks

Hacktivist collective Anonymous has begun launching cyberattacks on banks across the world. The hacker group, joining hands with Ghost Squad, has claimed to have launched DDoS attacks on eight international banks, shutting down the official websites.

The Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, the Guernsey Financial Services Commission, the Central Bank of Maldives and the Dutch Central Bank were briefly offline on 6 May, while the National Bank of Panama and the Central Bank of Kenya were reportedly taken offline a day later. The Central Bank of Mexico and the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina were also brought down by a DDoS attack. However, at the time of writing, all the websites of the banks hit by the hacktivist collective appear to be up and running.

In a video posted on 4 May, warning the banking community of their impending cyberattack, Anonymous said: "We will not let the banks win, we will be attacking the banks with one of the most massive attacks ever seen in the history of Anonymous."

Members of the hacker group allegedly told Hack Read: "The National Bank of Panama was a special target considering the importance of the Panama leaks. We want to make sure the corrupt elite named in the papers would be punished one day."

Including the cyberattack on the Central Bank of Greece and the Central Bank of Cyprus, Anonymous have now crossed 10 international banks of their list. The hacker group published an ambitious list of 160 banks that they intend to target as part of their month-long campaign against the banking industry. Among those listed are banking bigwigs like the US Federal Reserve Bank, the IMF, the World Bank, the New York Stock Exchange and the Bank of England.

The banking industry has recently been under attack from hackers. The massive cyber heist of the Bangladesh Bank as well as the Qatar National Bank data leak are the two most recent and prolific hacks that the banking community has ever experienced. Hackers across the globe seem to be gaining momentum in targeting big names for various motives, be it financial or political. Meanwhile, banks across the globe are in the very real need of arming themselves with additional security protocols to better protect themselves from cyberattacks.