Kenyan Banks on Alert Over Cyber Attacks

The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has received credible information that the bank and other government facilities could be the target of an imminent cyber-attack.

CBK is warning its employees to be ready and vigilant to stop such an event that has seen three central banks infiltrated by hackers this year.

"In light of this risk, we advise all staff to be cautious when opening e-mails and accessing the Internet. Do not open e-mails from unknown sources," reads a notice at the CBK offices.

A cyber-attack saw Sh8.1 billion ($81 million) stolen from Bangladesh's central bank and BBC News reported that an unnamed commercial bank also came under attack targeting its money.

Swift, which oversees the financial messaging network that underpins global money transfers, said the second attack showed that the Bangladesh theft was not an isolated incident but "part of a wider and highly adaptive campaign targeting banks."

Hacktivists have also gone after the websites of the Central Bank of Cyprus, which briefly came under attack, days after a hacking collective said it conducted a similar attack on the Greek central bank's site.