The direct impact of a serious security vulnerability found in the PHP programming language, used in most websites and systems worldwide, has also been felt in the Nepali banking sector.
To protect systems and customer data from potential cyber risks and unauthorized access, the regulatory body Nepal Rastra Bank and most commercial banks have temporarily shut down their websites and various online services.
According to the advisory issued by the center, serious risks have been identified in PHP and its related runtimes (Apache, mod_php, php-fpm, php-cgi, FrankenPHP, LiteSpeed, etc.) and ecosystems (WordPress, Drupal, etc.).
The center has instructed to immediately upgrade PHP used in the systems to versions 8.2.35+, 8.3.36+, 8.4.27+, or 8.5.12+ and to fully update systems with older versions.
Nepal Rastra Bank also issued a notice stating that due to the risk in PHP technology, its official website and other services have been temporarily suspended. Rastra Bank has directed all banks and financial institutions, payment system operators, payment service providers, and remittance companies to strengthen their systems and increase regular security monitoring.
bank's services are closed?
To mitigate risks, most commercial banks have cautiously shut down their websites and web-based portals. Nepal Rastra Bank: The central bank's official website and web-based information services have been temporarily suspended.
Global IME Bank: The bank's digital uniVerse service has been temporarily suspended for system security and maintenance. This includes services like ATM card replacement, online check clearing, and cash deposit machines. Other banking services remain operational, the bank stated.
Nabil Bank: The bank has stated that services such as 'NBank Microsite', 'GenAlpha App', online debit card requests, credit card requests, and fixed deposit loan services are temporarily affected due to technological improvements.
Prime Commercial Bank: For customer security, the bank has closed its online account opening portal, online fixed deposit portal, customer portal, online account freezing portal, and balance certificate verification portal.
NIC Asia Bank: The bank has temporarily suspended its official website and other online web services until risk assessment and system security are ensured.
Siddhartha Bank: Considering the risks in PHP technology, the official website and all online services operated through the website have been temporarily suspended.
Machhapuchchhre Bank: To update PHP-based systems, the bank's website and some web-based services have been temporarily closed.
Nepal Investment Mega Bank: The bank has temporarily suspended its official website for security maintenance and updates. Banks have stated that while core banking and mobile banking transactions remain operational, public web-based services will be closed until they are risk-free. Websites of almost all other banks have also been temporarily shut down.
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