Thursday, February 02, 2012

Brazil state-run bank hacked

A group of Internet hackers said Wednesday it took down the website of the Banco do Brasil, Brazil's largest state-run bank. It's the third such attack against financial institutions in a week.

"Attention sailors: Target hit! ... BancodoBrasil is sinking. TANGO DOWN," said a Twitter post from the group that calls itself "Anonymous Brasil."

It threatened further attacks on other banks.

Banco do Brasil said in a statement that its website was not taken down but was "slowed down" by "a flood of traffic." Media organizations were unable to access the site in repeated attempts.

On Monday, the group attacked the website of Itau Unibanco Banco Multiplo SA, Brazil's largest private sector bank and one day later it did the same against Banco Bradesco SA, the country's second-largest private bank, using a denial of service attack that essentially swamps a website with false users.

Anonymous Brasil posted a video on the UOL Internet news portal in which a man wearing a mask depicting the character "V" of the film "V for Vendetta" said the attacks against the banks' websites are aimed at "calling attention to the corruption and inequality in Brazil."