US attorney in Manhattan probing Bangladesh Bank cyber heist: source

Bharara’s office declined to comment.

The source spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly.

The investigation by the federal prosecutor comes as the FBI and other government agencies are seeking to guard against other cyber thefts.

The Federal Reserve and other financial regulators last week told banks to review cyber-security protections against fraudulent money transfers in the wake of the Bangladesh Bank heist. The FBI last month privately urged banks to look for signs of attempted cyber thefts.

Last week, an FBI official speaking in Washington said the agency is investigating “a number of different tentacles” but does not yet know who committed the Bangladesh crime. The Bangladesh police and other law enforcement agencies also are investigating the largest known cyber heist from a bank.

A US congressional committee has launched a probe into the New York Fed’s handling of the heist.

Thieves in early February hacked into the Bangladesh bank’s interface with the SWIFT network and peppered the New York Fed with fraudulent payment instructions. The New York Fed transferred $81 million held by Bangladesh Bank to accounts in the Philippines, where it went missing, according to Reuters. The Financial Express.