• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

Russia’s Central Bank Says It Was the Victim of an Attempted Cyber Heist

By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 2, 2016, 10:11 AM ET
Russian President Vladimir Putin Attends Foreign Ambassadors Meeting In Moscow
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - NOVEMBER 9: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin takes a glass of champagne during the reception for new foreign ambassadors at Grand Kremlin Palace on November 9, 2016 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)Photograph by Mikhail Svetlov—Getty Images

Hackers broke into accounts at the Russian central bank earlier this year by faking a client’s credentials and attempted to steal $45 million, the bank said in a report released on Friday.

The bank said it managed to recover some of that amount—$26 million—but it did not say if that meant the rest had been stolen.

It did not identify the hackers. It said they broke into a system the central bank operates and that gives its clients access to correspondent accounts opened within the bank.

Out of the $26 million the bank said it was able to retrieve, it said some was frozen in bank accounts elsewhere that the hackers had opened in order to siphon off the money, while in other cases the central bank had been able to freeze transfers from correspondent accounts.

The cyberattack was mentioned in an annual report the bank published on stability within the financial system.

“Cyber risks…can potentially have implications for financial stability if cyber attacks are aimed against strategically important banks, central banks and financial infrastructure facilities,” the report said.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Russia said earlier on Friday it had uncovered a plot by foreign spy agencies to sow chaos in Russia’s banking system via a coordinated wave of cyber attacks and fake social media reports about banks going bust.

Russia has been on high alert for foreign-inspired cyber attacks since U.S. officials accused the Kremlin of being involved in hacks on Democratic Party emails during the U.S. presidential election.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said at the time that the United States would mount a “proportional” response to Russia.

Since then, there have been a number of cyber attacks affecting Russian institutions, though it is unclear if they were linked to the row between Moscow and Washington.

About the Author
By Reuters
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

MoonPay chief legal officer and chief administrative officer Caroline Pham holds a microphone and speaks during a crypto conference
CryptoCryptocurrency
MoonPay acquires Solana trading infrastructure platform in $100M all-stock deal
By Jack KubinecMay 5, 2026
26 seconds ago
dimon
Bankingfinancial services
Anthropic deepens push into Wall Street with new AI agents, full Microsoft 365 integration, Moody’s data partnership
By Nick LichtenbergMay 5, 2026
26 seconds ago
DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis
AIGoogle
UK-based Google DeepMind workers vote to unionize over military AI contracts amid internal backlash over its Pentagon deal
By Beatrice NolanMay 5, 2026
27 minutes ago
Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm raises $2.2 billion for fifth venture fund, promotes CTO Lazzarin to general partner
CryptoAndreessen Horowitz
Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm raises $2.2 billion for fifth venture fund, promotes CTO Lazzarin to general partner
By Ben WeissMay 5, 2026
3 hours ago
three men pose in a grocery store
Startups & VentureGrocery
Exclusive: AI grocery startup Vori raises $22 million to help independent retailers compete with Walmart and Amazon
By Lily Mae LazarusMay 5, 2026
3 hours ago
A Solana token sits on top of several cash bills
CryptoCryptocurrency
Solana firm Jito launches a consumer trading app months after raising $50 million
By Jack KubinecMay 5, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

Diary of a CEO founder says he hired someone with 'zero' work experience because she 'thanked the security guard by name' before the interview
Success
Diary of a CEO founder says he hired someone with 'zero' work experience because she 'thanked the security guard by name' before the interview
By Emma BurleighMay 3, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, May 4, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, May 4, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 4, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of May 4, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 4, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 4, 2026
1 day ago
America got rich and got sad. A top economist says 2020 broke something that hasn't healed
Economy
America got rich and got sad. A top economist says 2020 broke something that hasn't healed
By Nick LichtenbergMay 3, 2026
2 days ago
As economic despair mounts, Russian official admits the country has had enough of Putin's war on Ukraine. 'We can’t even take one region'
Economy
As economic despair mounts, Russian official admits the country has had enough of Putin's war on Ukraine. 'We can’t even take one region'
By Jason MaMay 3, 2026
2 days ago
America is lucky it’s no longer a manufacturing powerhouse—it’s what’s protecting the U.S. economy from the worst of the oil shock, top economist says
Economy
America is lucky it’s no longer a manufacturing powerhouse—it’s what’s protecting the U.S. economy from the worst of the oil shock, top economist says
By Sasha RogelbergMay 4, 2026
22 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.