Bangladesh Bank’s website remained inaccessible for a second consecutive day on Friday as a precautionary measure following a global cybersecurity alert. However, the central bank’s connectivity and operations with commercial banks across the country remained normal, officials said.The central bank took the website offline on Thursday (October 22) afternoon after receiving a warning about global cybersecurity risks. Its information technology department is working to assess potential threats and strengthen the website’s security before restoring access.Bangladesh Bank Executive Director and spokesperson Arif Hossain Khan said the website would remain offline until adequate security measures were ensured. He added that connectivity between the central bank and commercial banks continued to function normally.He said the central bank’s IT department was addressing the issue, but no specific timeline had been announced for restoring the website.As of 8:44 pm on Friday, the website remained inaccessible to users. Attempts to visit the site displayed a maintenance notice stating that the service was undergoing maintenance and would be available again soon.The precautionary move comes amid international concerns over critical security vulnerabilities identified in PHP, a widely used programming language. Cybersecurity firms Calif and Wiz reportedly identified the vulnerabilities using artificial intelligence-based technology. Against this backdrop, the government has also issued a warning regarding global cybersecurity weaknesses.Bangladesh Bank has faced major cyberattacks in the past. In 2016, hackers stole approximately $101 million from the central bank’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Following the incident, then-governor Atiur Rahman resigned.Earlier, in 2023, Bangladesh Bank temporarily suspended several internal web-based services for 36 hours as a precautionary measure against potential cyberattacks.