ISLAMABAD: One of Pakistan’s most prominent payment system operators, 1LINK Limited, has dismissed reports and speculation of a major cyberattack on automated teller machines (ATMs) and online banking across Pakistan, referring to them as “fake rumors.”
A message circulated widely on WhatsApp and social media platforms in Pakistan last week said ATMs would not function for two to three days as a ransomware had targeted the machines. The message warned users against undertaking any online transactions and also urged them to advise their contacts against opening a video called “Dance of the Hillary,” saying it was a virus that formats mobiles.
In a press release on Sunday, 1LINK dismissed the widely circulated message as a “fake” one, urging people not to pay heed to it.
“The public is advised not to pay any attention to such hoaxes and to consult their banks for any guidance,” 1LINK said, adding that Pakistan’s central bank “is actively working” with banks and 1LINK to maintain the security of the country’s financial infrastructure and digital payments ecosystem.
“Thus far, no cyber threat has been observed on the ATM and online banking ecosystem in this context, and the financial service industry remains vigilant as ever before,” the statement concluded.
1LINK is a prominent Pakistani payments operator system owned by a consortium of 11 banks. It provides a host of valuable online banking services like ATM switching, bill payments, interbank funds transfer, fraud risk management, switch dispute resolution and domestic as well as international payment schemes.
‘Fake rumors’: 1LINK says no cyber threat to ATMs, online banking in Pakistan
https://arab.news/jmv28
‘Fake rumors’: 1LINK says no cyber threat to ATMs, online banking in Pakistan
- Message circulated widely on WhatsApp, social media platforms last week said ransomware had targeted ATMs in Pakistan
- Pakistan’s central bank “actively working” with banks, 1LINK to maintain security of financial infrastructure, says 1LLINK
Attack on paramilitary post in northwest Pakistan kills seven security personnel, child
- Blast hits Frontier Corps checkpoint in Bajaur near Afghan border
- Police recover bodies from rubble as rescue operation continues
ISLAMABAD: An attack on a paramilitary checkpoint in northwest Pakistan killed at least seven security personnel and a child on Monday, officials said, the latest in a series of attacks in a region bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistan has witnessed a steady rise in attacks in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, with most violence targeting police and security forces in former tribal districts along the border.
Islamabad says the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group has reorganized across the frontier and operates from safe havens inside Afghanistan, a charge Kabul rejects, insisting it does not allow its territory to be used against other countries.
The latest attack struck a Frontier Corps (FC) post in the Mamond area of Bajaur district, destroying a small compound where security personnel were stationed.
“We have recovered seven dead bodies, one of them police, and two injured from the debris while search for other bodies is underway,” Deputy Superintendent of Police Niaz Mohammad told Arab News, describing the compound as “a structure comprising four to five rooms.”
Rescue teams continued operations to locate anyone trapped beneath the rubble, officials said.
Police did not comment on the nature of the attack but a statement from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister’s office described it as a suicide bombing and confirmed casualties among security personnel and a child.
“The martyrdom of security personnel and a child in the terrorist attack is extremely tragic,” the statement said, adding that emergency services had been instructed to speed up rescue efforts.
Authorities said operations against militants in the province would be intensified.
Districts along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, including Bajaur and Bannu, have repeatedly been targeted in bombings and assaults on security checkpoints since a fragile ceasefire between Islamabad and the TTP collapsed in late 2022. Security forces continue to conduct intelligence-based operations in the region, but patrols and outposts remain frequent targets.
