FBI Investigating Cyber Attacks on US Banks

The National Security Agency (NSA) is reportedly also assisting the investigation into the incidents, which took place in mid-August.

Media reports say that the government agencies are looking into whether the attacks may have been state-sponsored, possibly as a result of recent upheaval in Eastern Europe, given the sophistication required to penetrate the defenses of major banks.

A common method of attack is through zero-day exploits, or previously undiscovered flaws in software or public-facing aspects of a firm's cyber presence, such as its websites and consumer or professional client portals. While direct damage and sabotage can be relatively rare, exfiltration of sensitive data and embedding access protocols and destructive programs for future attacks is common.