Hackers targeting the international financial system have hit a bank in the Philippines, claiming a fourth victim.
It's now clear the global banking system has been under sustained attack from a sophisticated group -- called "Lazarus" -- that has been linked to North Korea, according to a report from cybersecurity firm Symantec.
In at least four cases, computer hackers have been able to gain a dangerous level of access to SWIFT, the worldwide interbank communication network that settles transactions.
In early February, hackers broke into Bangladesh's central bank and stole $101 million U.S. Their methods appear to have been deployed in similar heists last year targeting commercial banks in Ecuador and Vietnam.
Symantec revealed evidence on Thursday that suggests hackers used the same technique to slip into a bank in the Philippines in October.
Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC) did not name the bank. A Symantec official says hackers infected desktop computers at the bank. But researchers still aren't sure if they succeeded in stealing any money.
Symantec researchers closely examined the computer virus used to attack the bank in Philippines. They found that its complex code shared distinct properties -- like specific instructions written in the same words -- as malicious code used to attack Bangladesh Bank.
Symantec opened Friday's trading up 2.5 cents from Thursday's close to $17.215 U.S., within a 52-week trading range of $16.14 to $25.03 U.S.
