WATERFORD, Conn.–A cybercriminal attack shut down the online banking and website of Charter Oak FCU, although online banking has since been returned to service.
CEP Brian Orenstein told CTInsider.com the credit union remains uncertain when access to the website will be restored, and said the CU’s information technology and security teams were forced to shut down access to the website and online banking portal on July 14 because of the actions of unidentified "bad actors" trying to access members personal information.
"We detected some unusual activity on the website on (on July 12)," Orenstein told the publication. "The IT team and cyber security experts acted immediately to protect member data and assets. In the process of throttling up online security, Charter Oak’s domain was temporarily locked which has resulted in downtime for the main website and online banking."
The $1.521-billion Charter Oak has approximately 80,000 members and about half of them do online banking, Orenstein said.
Fake Websites Emerge
He told CTInsider.com that shortly after the website and online banking platform were shut down, fake websites purporting to be the legitimate Charter Oak web page began to appear.
"There has been no money or member data lost," Orenstein told CTInsider.com. "Because the system is down, the fraudsters can't get to the website. We are encouraging members who may have provided any login or password information to contact us so we can create new logins and passwords for them, because once the website is restored, customers will be at risk of having their online accounts accessed by these individuals."
The credit union said the FBI and NCUA have been notified.
A Caution to Members
In a message to members, the credit union cautioned, “Please be sure not to enter your online banking credentials into any other website than charteroak.org. There are other sites with similar names (not exact) that are looking to capture your credentials. Please do not enter your username or password to any websites that may look like Charter Oak."
Charter Oak said it will refund members who have experienced fees or charges caused by the disruption in online service.
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