Bangladesh Bank website closed due to cyber security threat

Symbolic Image Feature Photo

News Desk: Bangladesh Bank's website has been temporarily shut down to prevent urgent cybersecurity risks. The decision was taken as a precautionary measure due to concerns over potential attacks exploiting security vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language. However, no confirmed information has been obtained yet regarding whether a cyberattack actually occurred on the website.
On Thursday (October 22), the Bangladesh Bank website was inaccessible. Relevant sources from the central bank stated that work is underway to identify and resolve the website's security vulnerabilities. The website will be restored after assessing the risk and ensuring the necessary security measures.
Arif Hossain Khan, Executive Director and Spokesperson of Bangladesh Bank, told the media, "The website has been kept closed due to urgent security issues. This step was taken as a precautionary measure to prevent potential security risks."
According to relevant sources and international media reports, a global alert has been issued regarding two critical security vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language. Exploiting these flaws could allow potential attackers to execute unauthorized commands on the server remotely. If such vulnerabilities are exploited, server files, databases, and sensitive information could be compromised. Consequently, relevant organizations are taking precautionary measures to assess risks and ensure security setups.
In addition to Bangladesh Bank, precautionary measures have reportedly been taken for the websites of several other banks and institutions using PHP. However, it could not be confirmed whether any attack has taken place using the mentioned flaws on Bangladesh Bank's website.
PHP is a widely used server-side programming language utilized by various government organizations, news outlets, e-commerce platforms, and online services globally. However, using PHP does not automatically make a website vulnerable; the level of risk depends on the version used, security updates, server configurations, and other protective measures.
According to cybersecurity experts, in such situations, it is essential to identify the PHP version used on the server and apply the necessary security updates. If the flaw cannot be patched quickly, steps such as utilizing firewalls, restricting unauthorized connections, and, if necessary, temporarily disconnecting the server from the internet can be taken.
Due to the shutdown of Bangladesh Bank's website, access to various information and online services of the central bank may be temporarily disrupted. However, no specific timeframe has been announced for reopening the website. Sources indicated that the decision to launch the website again will be made only after identifying security flaws and confirming the required protective measures.