HSBC Says Online Banking Glitch ‘Not A Cyber-Attack’

The HSBC online banking outage currently affecting millions of the bank’s customers is not due to a cyber-attack, the bank’s chief operating officer has confirmed.

John Hackett, who has worked his way up at HSBC since 1984, said in a statement: “There is a complex technical issue with our internet banking systems, and our IT team has been working non-stop since yesterday morning to find a solution.

Malicious act

“We can, however, confirm this is not a cyber-attack or any other malicious act.”

HSBC’s personal and business online and mobile banking systems have been suffering with a glitch since Monday morning, with millions of customers now affected.

Hackett said HSBC IT engineers have been running continuous tests, diagnostics, and trial runs to solve the issue.

“We are getting closer to solving the problem, but are not there yet,” said Hackett.

“We have mobilised all our available resources to cope with the increased customer demand in our call centres and branches, and they are doing their best; however, due to very heavy volumes we ask for your patience.

“We will continue to provide regular updates.”

The company’s chief operating officer did quell customer concerns about charges, however. “We will ensure customers do not lose out as a result of this issue. Any fees customers incur as a result of this outage will be waived,” he said.

“We profoundly apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.”
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