Hackers loot $0.25m from Sonali Bank

At least a quarter million US dollar has been looted from Sonali Bank by the middle of last year by hacking password, a top government official disclosed today.

The revelation came at the annual conference of the bank this morning at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital.

Hackers allegedly broke into the bank's server and transacted $2.50 lakh to their accounts, M Aslam Alam, Secretary, Bank and Financial Institutions Division (BFID) of the finance ministry, said in presence of Finance Minister AMA Muhith and other top officials.

He recommended that the risk management system of the bank should be strengthened to avoid recurrence of such incidents.

He also talked about two other incidents – the Kishoreganj Sonali Bank heist on January 24 and trespassing into the bank's head office at Motijheel in the capital during Hefajat-e Islam’s May 5 rally last year.

The incidents could have been avoided had there been appropriate security measures, Aslam added.