KARACHI: 1LINK, transaction service provider to banks, on Sunday confirmed that there was no disruption of any interoperable banking services during or after the cyber-attack on one of the major banks in Pakistan.
All transactions, both financial (ATM cash withdrawal, 1IBFT-Inter Bank Funds Transfer and Bill Payments) and non-financial transactions (balance inquiry, title fetch and bill inquiry) are completely functional and safe.
There was no downtime from Thursday, October 28, 2021, till now, and the transaction volumes suggest that consumers are conducting transactions as usual.
This clarification is to dispel all rumors and give comfort to all banking customers that Pakistan’s Payment Systems and Digital Banking is safe, as neither customer data is compromised, nor any compromise has been reported through 1LINK grid or its member banks.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Saturday stated that the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) had reported a cyber security related incident which is being investigated.
“The bank has not observed any data breach or financial loss. No other bank has reported any such incidence,” the central bank said. The SBP added that it was monitoring the situation closely to ensure safety and soundness of banking system.
State Bank of Pakistan, 1LINK and all banks are closely monitoring the situation to ensure continued safety and soundness of the banking and digital payments system.
Customers can comfortably conduct their transactions using their accounts, mobile apps, internet banking and debit and credit cards through all available channels, i.e., ATMs, POS terminals, internet banking, mobile banking, OTC and other digital means. However, customers are advised to practice extreme caution in safeguarding their digital credentials which are required to perform transactions, including ATM pin, passwords, OTP, etc.
