HSBC working to get banking site back online for all customers after foiling cyber attack

HSBC today came under cyber attack.

For around four hours some customers have had problems with online banking.

The timing is bad - and maybe that is precisely what the attackers intended.

Fridays are the busiest due to firms reconciling payrolls and end of week transactions - but to add to that this Sunday is a key tax deadline for millions. To prepare their returns many will need access to their bank figures.

HSBC say they "fought off" this attack and that things are getting back to normal - some customers can now log-on.

However, some still cannot and HSBC couldn't tell me when the problem will be finally fixed.

They tell be that customers should be reassured that there is no evidence that any customer data has been breached.

The type of cyber assault involved is called "a denial of service" - this is where somebody, or a group, bombard a company website with so much traffic it goes offline.

In hackers circles these attacks have various names "smurf attack" and "ping flood". On the so-called 'Dark Web' and elsewhere there are kits to help culprits mount these attacks.

As online banking becomes increasingly more popular - and more of us also use mobile banking via phones - the sector is likely to become more of a target.

• Anyone affected can contact the HSBC helpline number on 03457 404 404