N Zealand central bank boss apologises over cyber-attack

WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s central bank chief apologised on Friday for failings that allowed a “significant” and “malicious” cyber-attack to occur, and ordered an independent investigation. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand revealed the breach on Sunday, saying a third-party file-sharing service that stored sensitive information had been illegally accessed. Few details have been released since, aside from the bank saying the application at the centre of the breach was provided by US-based firm Accellion. Governor Adrian Orr confirmed on Friday that the data breach was significant but had been contained and the bank was operating normally, as were New Zealand’s financial institutions. “We apologise unreservedly to all of those impacted by the breach. Personally, I own this issue and I am disappointed and sorry,” he said in a statement. — AFP