Kuwait bank e-networks safe: CBK – Special team examining ‘situation’

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KUWAIT CITY, Feb 9, (Agencies): Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait Dr Mohammad Al-Hashel re-affirmed on Thursday that banking accounts are well protected and secured. There has been no “illegitimate entries into the accounts of the Kuwaiti banks; except for the Commercial Bank of Kuwait where there have been very limited entries,” he said in a statement on Thursday, responding to some social media reports.

The CBK is coordinating with the Commercial Bank and other local banks to contain the irregular act and ensure sound status of the banks’ electronic networks, he said, noting that a CBK special team is examining the situation.

Earlier, Kuwaiti Banking Association (KBA) strongly denied rumors about the hacking of Kuwaiti banks except for very limited attempts on the accounts of a local bank, with a small number affected. In this regard, KBA’s board chairman Majid Al-Ajeel denied social media reports that applications used by bank clients to make payments using

their cards were hacked. Ajeel added that the affected bank took all needed security measures to ensure the safety of all its accounts. “Local banks are very keen on protecting their clients from any financial losses,” he underlined, pointing out that Kuwaiti banks’ electronic networks and data systems are highly protected by the latest data security technologies and software.

Notably, the affected bank faced an attempted hacking of a limited number of accounts and immediately took all needed security measures to prevent hackers from accessing clients’ accounts. Initial review of the hacking attempts’ results showed that a very small number of accounts had been hacked.

Accordingly, the bank contacted security authorities reporting the matter so that standard procedures could be followed. In addition, the bank renewed its advice to its cardholders to regularly change their PIN codes through the bank’s ATMs and urged clients to immediately contact the bank in case of detecting any unusual transactions.

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