Patria Bank foils cybercrime group with latest security techniques

Banking was once regarded as a stable, often uneventful profession. That’s all changed with the rise of cybercrime. Consider Patria Bank, a regional bank that was one of five financial firms in Romania targeted by the Cobalt Group, which was attempting to hack electronic payment systems. Fortunately for Patria Bank, the cybercriminals tipped their hand and initially attacked a decommissioned server isolated from the rest of the infrastructure. Realizing Patria Bank would not be so lucky again, IT decided to evaluate alternative security solutions, such as Bitdefender GravityZone Ultra, McAfee Endpoint Security, and Symantec Endpoint Protection. After an in-depth evaluation, GravityZone Ultra emerged as the clear choice for Patria Bank. Another factor in the bank’s choice of GravityZone was the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a new law that imposes stiff fines when companies experience privacy or data breaches.

Patria Bank S.A. provides banking and other financial services to small-to-medium enterprises, microenterprises, agribusinesses, and retail clients in Romania. Financial services include current and special purpose accounts, capital loans, investment credits, credit lines, domestic and international payments, and foreign exchange transactions, among other offerings. The bank is headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, and employs around 800 people, including 20 IT staff members. Patria Bank is committed to providing comprehensive financial solutions to its diverse clientele, ensuring that they have access to the necessary resources to grow and manage their financial needs effectively.