'Anonymous' joins hacker army targeting central banks for cash

Poland's financial regulator was targeted in January by a suspected "watering hole" attack

In 2008, a group of thieves stole $700,000 from Russia’s central bank the old-fashioned way: they infiltrated a processing centre, handcuffed a guard, and made off with the cash.

These days, the criminal attacks on the Bank of Russia are far less labour-intensive — and far more lucrative. Over the course of last year, hackers looted up to $21 million from accounts opened with the Bank of Russia.

The thefts from the Bank of Russia are part of a surge in cyber attacks on global monetary authorities in 2016, from Bangladesh to Warsaw. This year is likely to be even worse. 

“For a