KARACHI: A major payment gateway in the nation has refuted rumors circulating on social media that an ATM hack will cause them to close for two to three days.
Following a message on social media and WhatsApp that stated ATMs would be closed for two to three days due to a ransomware attack, 1LINK Limited, a group of major banks that own and run the largest representative interbank network in the nation, released an explanation.
Additionally, the notice forbade users from making any online purchases during that time. This report was said to have been broadcast on BBC Radio.
The British television network’s local affiliate, BBC Urdu, has refuted the claim. It stated that there had been no recent reports on BBC of a cyberattack in Pakistan and that the last broadcast of BBC Urdu Radio in that country had taken place on December 31, 2022.
The public was cautioned not to take any notice of such reports by 1LINK, a banking services provider that offers payment systems, funds transfers, and ATM switching, in a clarification released on Sunday.
The statement also stated that “the financial service industry remains vigilant as ever before, and no cyber threat has been observed on the ATM and online banking ecosystem in this context to date.”
“To ensure the security of Pakistan’s financial infrastructure and digital payments ecosystem, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is actively working with banks and 1LINK, guaranteeing compliance with tough IT and security guidelines.”
