RBNZ said Sunday that it is responding urgently to a breach of one of its data systems from an unidentified hacker, who is likely to access commercially and personally sensitive information.
According to the information, there was illegal access to an external file-sharing service that the bank uses to exchange and store some sensitive information.
The Governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Adrian Orr, said the breach was contained, but added that it will take some time to understand the full effects of this violation.
"The nature and extent of the information that may be accessed is still being determined, but it may include some commercially and personally sensitive information," Ur added in a statement.
The Governor says: The breach has been contained, the bank is handling the matter with the highest priority, acting swiftly, and we are working closely with local and international cybersecurity experts and other relevant authorities as part of our investigation and response to this malicious attack.
The bank explained that the system has been secured and made offline until the initial investigations are completed, and understanding the full implications of this violation may take time, and the bank is working with system users whose information may have been accessed.
It is not clear when the breach occurred or if there were any indications of the administrator, and in which country the file sharing service was based.
Several major organizations in New Zealand have been the target of cyber interference last year, including the New Zealand Stock Exchange, which was hit by a DDoS cyberattack in August that halted trading for four consecutive days.
InPhySec, an independent cybersecurity company tasked with reviewing cyber attacks, said: The scale, complexity and persistence of the attacks was unprecedented for New Zealand.
In its Financial Stability Report issued in November 2019, the Central Bank of New Zealand warned that the frequency and severity of cybersecurity incidents is on the rise in New Zealand.
And in February of last year, the bank said in a report: The expected cost of cyber accidents to the banking and insurance sector ranges between NZ $ 80 million ($ 58 million) and NZ $ 140 million annually.
In its latest report, the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) said: Cyber attacks increased by 33 percent year on year in New Zealand.