News
Lanka faced rising threats of financial phishing attacks in 2024
Sri Lanka is increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks targeting businesses’ financial transactions, with 9,218 incidents of financial phishing detected in 2024 alone, according to the latest Kaspersky Security Bulletin. This figure highlights the growing sophistication of cybercriminals who are targeting businesses with deceptive online tactics designed to steal sensitive financial information.
Financial phishing attacks, which involve fraudulent notifications designed to impersonate legitimate financial institutions, have become a major concern for businesses worldwide. These attacks trick individuals and organizations into revealing critical credentials such as banking login details, credit card numbers, and payment information. Cybercriminals use malicious links or attachments to lure victims into falling for their schemes, often causing severe financial and reputational damage.
Sam Yan, Head of Sales for Asia Emerging Countries at Kaspersky. commented on the rising threat: “Financial phishing attacks in Sri Lanka is a clear signal that cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated. As businesses digitize their financial transactions, they must recognize the risks associated with phishing and other cyber threats. It is crucial that they adopt a multi-layered approach to cybersecurity to protect sensitive data.
He added, “Organizations across Sri Lanka must prioritize cybersecurity as a business imperative. Phishing attacks are among the most prevalent threats today, and they can have far-reaching consequences if not addressed. Businesses should take immediate steps to implement effective anti-phishing technologies and ensure that their employees are well-trained to recognize and avoid such attacks.”
Kaspersky’s report highlights that financial phishing, particularly in the business-to-business (B2B) sector, is on the rise. Sri Lanka has reported a significant number of phishing attacks aimed at B2B financial notifications, with 9,218 incidents detected in 2024. This places Sri Lanka in a critical position, urging businesses to adopt stronger cybersecurity practices.
To counteract this growing threat, Kaspersky recommends that businesses and financial institutions in Sri Lanka implement a series of proactive security measures: Deploy anti-phishing technologies to detect and block malicious communications in real-time. Invest in employee training to raise awareness about phishing tactics and how to spot suspicious activities. Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) to add an extra layer of protection to sensitive financial transactions.
During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 22 Feb 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized an Indian fishing boat and apprehended twelve (12) Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, in the sea area south of Mannar.
The seized boat and the Indian fishermen were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Dikovita for onward legal proceedings.
FSL assures legal backing for them
Families of those sentenced to death by the Three-member Gampaha High Trial-at-Bar, over the killing of SLPP MP Amarakeerthi Atukorale, and his police bodyguard, met a senior official of the Presidential Secretariat, yesterday (23), to seek backing for their move to appeal against the verdict.
Having made representations, they addressed the media, outside the Presidential Secretariat, where they declared their intention to move the higher court against the decision.
The SLPP MP and his security officer were killed by an Aragalaya mob on 09 May, 2022, at Nittambuwa. The same day Aragalaya mobs unleashed violence against the then government MPs across the country, torching dozens of their properties.
The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) yesterday said that they would help the families of those sentenced to death to move court against the Gampaha High Court Trial-at-Bar decision. Responding to The Island queries, FSP spokesman Pubudu Jayagoda said that their representatives had already met the families and necessary work was being done to move the Supreme Court. Twenty three persons were acquitted and four handed six-month prison terms, suspended for five years
Jayagoda said that one of the HC judges differed in the ruling. Asked whether they received backing from any other political party and groups that had been involved in the 2022 protest campaign to defend those who had been found guilty, Jayagoda said such support was lacking.
The JVP/NPP played a significant role in the violent protest campaign that forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down. Pointing out that the Attorney General, too, was appealing against the court decision on the basis that the number of persons sentenced to death should be much higher, Jayagoda said that the Nittambuwa incident couldn’t be examined in isolation without taking into consideration the SLPP goon attack on Galle Face protesters on 09 May, 2022. (SF)
Offshore Patrol Vessel P 628 of the Sri Lanka Navy departed Baltimore, USA, for Colombo, on 20 February.
The ex-United States Coast Guard Cutter, USCGC Decisive was officially handed over to the SLN on 02 December, 2025, as the latest addition to the SLN fleet, under the Pennant Number P 628.
Measuring 64 metres in length, this ‘B-Type Reliance Class 210-foot Cutter’ is equipped with advanced technological systems and facilities, capable of conducting extensive surveillance operations spanning up to 6,000 nautical miles per patrol.
The vessel’s voyage to Colombo is historic, possibly marking the longest-ever passage undertaken by a Sri Lanka Navy ship. Covering approximately 14,775 nautical miles, the journey will see the P 628 navigate from Baltimore through the Atlantic Ocean, the Panama Canal (a first for a Sri Lankan naval vessel), the Pacific Ocean, and into the Indian Ocean, via the Straits of Malacca. The ship is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka during the first week of May, 2026.
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