LONDON–HSBC websites worldwide were shut down for several hours today as they faced a “denial of service” cyberattack. The group website, hsbc.com, as well as several national and online banking sites including those in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Brazil, went offline at about 5:30 p.m. U.K. time (12.30 p.m. East Coast time). The U.K. business banking site was among those affected.
A statement given to CFO European Briefing by HSBC four hours later said the attack did not affect customer data “but did prevent customers using HSBC online services, including internet banking.” The statement added: “We are pleased to say that some sites are now back up and running” but did not specify which sites those were.
Apologizing to customers, many of whom have been venting their negative feelings on Twitter, HSBC said: “We are cooperating with the relevant authorities and will cooperate with other organizations that have been similarly affected by such criminal acts.”
Andrew Sawers is editor of CFO European Briefing, a CFO online publication.