Bank Blocks Some Online Customers While Combating Cyber Attacks

While working to combat recent cyber attacks, PNC Bank sent an e-mail to customers apologizing for blocking a “small percentage” of customers from using its website for online banking, according to various news outlets.

Online users of the Pittsburgh-based bank have had issues with the website since the fall, when a “hacktivist” group was targeting several banking institutions, including PNC.

The cyber attacks consist of abnormally high amounts of traffic flooding banking websites, which prevent legitimate online banking users to access the sites, according to USA Today.

While PNC has worked over several weeks to block the attacks, it has caused a different issue for some customers.

"PNC has taken steps to block this traffic and maintain online and mobile banking access for the vast majority of its customers," the e-mail said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "In some cases, those measures also may have blocked access to a small percentage of legitimate PNC customers for an extended period."

There are several PNC branches in the Bethlehem area, including one at 901 Evans Street in South Bethlehem.