Bangladesh Bank attackers used custom malware that hijacked SWIFT software

The hackers who stole US $81 million from Bangladesh's central bank likely used custom malware designed to interfere with the SWIFT transaction software used by many financial institutions.

The attackers attempted to transfer $951 million out of Bangladesh Bank's account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in February, but most of the transfers were blocked before completion. The attackers did manage to send $81 million to accounts in the Philippines, and that money is still missing.

Researchers from BAE Systems have recently come across several malware components that they believe are part of a custom attack toolkit that was likely used in the heist.

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