REUTERS
The Bank of England (BOE) is frequently faced with cyber threats as hackers probe for vulnerabilities in the central bank's computer systems, Bloomberg reported.
The revelation was made in a response by the U.K. central bank to a Freedom of Information request by Bloomberg News.
The BOE declined to release data about the number of times it has been attacked and its spending on external cyber-security companies, citing an exemption from requirements linked to the prevention of crime, according to the report.
"The bank faces advanced, persistent and evolving cyber threats from a variety of sources which call for extreme vigilance," it said in a January letter, according to Bloomberg.
On March 3, the Information Commissioner's Office, which handles Freedom of Information appeals, said it accepted the bank's reasons for not releasing data and dismissed Bloomberg's claim. A BOE spokeswoman declined to comment further.
Read alsoExperts: Russian hackers use same virus in attacks on Ukraine power companies, mediaThe BOE has highlighted such attacks as one of the main risks to financial stability, and made improving resilience a priority, including a program of tests to find weaknesses in the systems of large firms. It said last year that banks and investment companies are not spending enough on computer security.
The BOE said it was not able to confirm or deny whether it held information about the number of serious breaches of its own systems because any information might be used to help a hacker.