Hackers attack several major US banks - NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News

Three more major US banks are reporting possible cyber attacks on its customer websites. Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase reported attacks last week. Now it appears Wells Fargo, US Bank and PNC have been targeted as well.

Charles Driest is the online banking channel manager for Union First Market Bank. He says all banks are on the lookout for attacks like this.

"For the most part these are random and rare occurrences," Driest said. "You prepare for the worst and just keep your eye on what's going on."

This time these criminals are not hacking into personal accounts.

Several major banks have become victims of a sophisticated campaign of distributed denial of service attacks - known as DDoS. These hackers overwhelm the website with requests - essentially shutting down the site. When bank workers go to fix the problem - that's when the hackers strike.

"The idea behind the fraud is you're going to take your eye off a process or some other transaction that will then be allowed to slip through," he said.

These attacks could be related. All the banks affected say traffic on its website is close to normal.

So what should you do to protect yourself?

Cyber experts say you should always use strong usernames and passwords. Use letters, numbers and special characters.

Also always update your anti-virus and malware. Banking experts say many people become victims because of security cracks in their computers - not the bank's system.

Independent Senator Joe Lieberman is claiming these attacks could be from Iran. He says it could be revenge for the tough sanctions levied by the US to derail its nuclear program.

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