Robin Hood banditry from $1 billion bank hacking

WASHINGTON (AP) — The hacker gang that looted as much as $1 billion worldwide from banks was unusual: It stole directly from the banks, instead of ripping off their customers.

But this was hardly a bit of Robin Hood banditry that spared innocent account holders. Security experts say consumers still need to keep a close eye on their checking and savings, as epic computer breaches such as this theft — documented in a report issued Monday — are becoming all too common.

“Customers are still at risk,” said Sergey Golovanov, a researcher at the Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab that released the report. “Criminals had access to all banking infrastructure, so they were able to get any data about customers.”

Doug Johnson, senior vice president at the American Bankers Association, said there’s no evidence that any U.S. bank has been a victim of this particular breach. Still, the report found that some of the proceeds were deposited with banks in China and the United States.