JPMorgan warns of increased hacker threats

JPMorgan warns of increased hacker threats
The firm has seen an increase in hackers targeting its systems.
JAN 18, 2024

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has seen an increase in hackers attempting to infiltrate its systems as the Wall Street giant and its rivals continue to deal with a surge in global cybercrime, according to Mary Callahan Erdoes, who leads JPMorgan’s asset and wealth management division.

“The fraudsters get smarter, savvier, quicker, more devious, more mischievous,” Erdoes said in a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “It’s so hard and it’s going to become increasingly harder and that’s why staying one step ahead of it is really the job of each and everyone of us.”

After the panel, JPMorgan clarified Erdoes’s comments on the number of hackers attempting to infiltrate its systems every day.

“Ms. Erdoes was referring to observed activity collected from our technology assets, malicious or not. This activity is then processed by our monitoring infrastructure,” Joseph Evangelisti, a spokesman for JPMorgan, said in a statement. “Examples of activity can include user log ins like employee virtual desktops, and scanning activity, which are often highly automated and not targeted.”

With geopolitical tensions rising globally in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago, banks have been dealing with a surge in cyber incidents. More than 70% of bank leaders in a 2023 survey by KPMG said cyber crime and cyber insecurity was a pressing concern for their organization. 

JPMorgan now spends about $15 billion on technology every year as part of its attempts to bolster its cyber defenses, Erdoes said. That figure has been on the rise in recent years: JPMorgan previously said it spent about $14.3 billion on technology in 2022. 

Erdoes also said the company has nearly 62,000 technologists who are also helping to secure its systems. 

Copyright Bloomberg News

Latest News

Voya expands advisor managed accounts to add private market assets
Voya expands advisor managed accounts to add private market assets

Voya Financial adds private equity, credit and real estate options to its AMA program, building on support for looser federal investment rules in retirement accounts.

With executives leaving, Osaic’s Reid now in the spotlight
With executives leaving, Osaic’s Reid now in the spotlight

Shannon Reid, president of Osaic and the network’s number two executive, has plenty of challenges, industry executives said.

Investors sue crypto fund and platform, alleging $1.5 million never returned
Investors sue crypto fund and platform, alleging $1.5 million never returned

Auditors flagged the commingling. The COO allegedly knew. Investors kept getting the pitch

Wells Fargo nabs $1.7B RBC advisor team, loses two teams to LPL
Wells Fargo nabs $1.7B RBC advisor team, loses two teams to LPL

The advisors on the move include two brothers leading a family practice in Connecticut, and a husband-and-wife tandem working with business owners in the West Coast.

Most potential business successors think there's a plan – but owners say otherwise
Most potential business successors think there's a plan – but owners say otherwise

Business owners and their heirs may be making assumptions instead of having conversations, creating challenges for succession planning, according to new research.

SPONSORED Who builds the income when the pension disappears?

Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income

SPONSORED Why direct indexing stopped being optional

Direct indexing is on pace to outgrow ETFs and mutual funds. Northern Trust's Ken Lassner explains why the advisors who get it wish they had started sooner.