‘Physical security threat’ forces NAB to shut all branches nationwide

All NAB bank branches across the country have been closed due to a “physical security threat”.

In a statement, a spokesperson for NAB said the measure has been taken for the safety of customers and staff.

“We are working closely with police and will provide an update as soon as we can,” the statement read.

Faye told 3AW’s Dee Dee the bank manager at the Coburg NAB branch told her staff had been instructed to evacuate immediately.

“All of the staff just rushed out of the bank,” she said.

Click PLAY below for Faye’s call.

Director of RMIT University Cyber Security and Innovation Research Centre, Professor Matt Warren, said attacks like the one launched on NAB today are “very easy to organise”.

“By simply sending an email you’re able to bypass all of the controls an organisation may have normally with their security,” he told Dee Dee.

Professor Warren said the motivation for the attack could be anything from gaining clout in hacker circles to a threat from a state actor.

“You have state threat actors who are maybe wanting to send a message that they’re able to project power onto another country, or you could have cyber criminals who are just wanting to cause mischief,” he said.

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