The banking industry is concerned that hackers are finding it easier to breach their data networks, CNN Money reports.
At President Barack Obama's Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity Monday, bankers noted that while American banks are defending their computer networks, hackers can more easily attack smaller banks, and in doing so, access the global financial system.
"The weakest link in the chain is where exposure happens," MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga said in a
CNN Money report.
The report noted recent attacks on
Bangladesh Bank, in which hackers stole $101 million. The hackers made transfers out of Bangladesh Bank's account at New York's Federal Reserve Bank.
"Every institution is not equal," Greg Rattray, head of JPMorgan's global cyber partnerships, said at the conference.
Rattray said that increasing the security of systems that banks share, such as the telecommunications system SWIFT, is key.
Marc Gordon, the chief information officer of American Express, said smaller businesses can't handle security as well as bigger ones can.
The U.S. government spots hacks as part of its daily routine, but Gordon said that federal agencies are not communicating enough with the bank industry.
Phil Venables, Goldman Sachs' chief information risk officer, agreed. "We should attempt to desensitize and declassify as much as possible," he said at the conference.
Gordon said that real-time reporting of threats to bank systems is "years" away, according to
FedScoop.
FedScoop reports that the latest idea in the financial tech world is the blockchain, a system that uses cryptography and digital signatures, and can be shared in real time.
The commission's report is due to President Obama on Dec. 1. Commission Chairman Tom Donilon told FedScoop that he expects that the report will be used to guide cybersecurity priorities for the next presidential administration.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.