DNS attack: A branch of the US central bank is forced to request a password reset after a short-lived attack redirected its visitors to fake websites.
The St. Louis Federal Reserve discovered on April 24 that its DNS ( Domain System Name ) settings had been changed to redirect visitors to fake websites. The bank did not name the DNS provider, but those who visited those websites may have been exposed to malware or had their login credentials stolen.
"If you tried to log in to your account on this date, it is possible that the malicious group has access to your password and username," says a bank advisor.
The Domain System Networkis a global database that converts domain names into IP addresses that can be called up in a browser. The owners of Domain System Name networks guard the data carefully, as any changes could redirect people to the wrong websites.
Domain Name System violations are powerful, as someone can be redirected to a different IP address even if they type in the correct domain name.
The bank said the fake websites were designed to look like a research site on the official website. Other fake websites were created that mimicked those on the research site, which contains databases of financial information.
