Russian Central Bank instructs banks on countering cyberattacks

Russia's Central Bank's branch for the Central Federal District sent out a letter to banks advising the staff on how to counter potential cyberattacks.

The Central Bank asked the banks to stock up on liquidity and keep ATMs and cash departments well supplied with cash, the Russian Vedomosti newspaper reported.

The Central Bank also asked to be informed about any large-scale account withdrawals and the spread of any kind of negative information, through mass media, social networks or mass messaging, Sputnik reports.

On December 2, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) warned that foreign intelligence services planned cyberattacks on the financial sector in several dozen Russian cities. 

In December 2014, Russia's Sberbank fell victim to this kind of attack, when the clients withdrew 300 billion rubles from their accounts in just one day, spurred by the rumors that Visa would block all Sberbank payment cards.