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RBS 'Glitch' Goes Airborne As Biggest Russian Bank Halts All Credit, Debit Card Operations

Tyler Durden's picture




It seems IT professionals around the world are #failing as the 'glitch' that affected millions of account holders in the UK has leaped the channel and spread across Europe to infect Sberbank - which just happens to be the largest Russian bank. Via Bloomberg:

  • *SBERBANK CARDS NOT WORKING IN RUSSIA, ABROAD, COMPANY SAYS
  • *SBERBANK SAYS WORKING TO RESOLVE TECHNICAL MALFUNCTION :SBER RU

and from Interfax:

RUSSIA-SBERBANK-CARDS-MALFUNCTION MOSCOW. July 6. (Interfax) – Sberbank of Russia (RTS: SBER) has suspended credit and debit card operations due to a technical malfunction, the bank told Interfax. “All cards are not being serviced,” it said.

How many times did these glitches occur among the world's largest and likely highest paid IT services groups before the European financial crisis pulled back the curtain and showed the proximity of the liquidty cliff for so many of the 'biggest' banks in the world?

 

Sberbank just happens to be the biggest Russian bank...




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Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:32 | Link to Comment q99x2
q99x2's picture

My money is headed to the mattress today.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:36 | Link to Comment camaro68ss
camaro68ss's picture

JPM, BAC, going to have a glich soon too?

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:40 | Link to Comment El Viejo
El Viejo's picture

In a tornado: DO NOT TAKE REFUGE IN BIG BOX BUILDINGS!!!

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:45 | Link to Comment camaro68ss
camaro68ss's picture

normal sheeple find the closest card board box to hide under, then wait for FEMA to come and feed them after the storm

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:43 | Link to Comment CPL
CPL's picture

I was wondering when Russia was going to go tits up again.

 

Wonder how long it take to make banking executives disappear into the siberian front.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 20:02 | Link to Comment Followmelightbulb
Followmelightbulb's picture

Maybe the Russian glitch had something to do with "paying the price"

 

Clinton: Russia & China will 'pay price' for supporting Assad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlcJjMEiHiI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:13 | Link to Comment jus_lite_reading
jus_lite_reading's picture

>>"My money is headed to the mattress today"<<

 

Why did it take you THIS LONG to reach that decision? 

Keep a small amount in to pay bills and everyday expenses. Keep $40k cash on hand at all times. The rest is all GOLD AND SILVER!!

Don't worry about everyday price fluctuations in gold/silver... just buy and hold till the end of the financial world!

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 02:52 | Link to Comment Deo vindice
Deo vindice's picture

@ JL Reading - I agree fully with your sentiment, but do you know how few people in this debt-obssessed society could lay their hands on $40k? They could hold a convention in a phone booth.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:32 | Link to Comment bigwavedave
bigwavedave's picture

Someone is going to blame Tyler Durden. I know because I read the book.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:39 | Link to Comment EL INDIO
EL INDIO's picture

Hey, is your picture a dude with awesome boobs ?

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:40 | Link to Comment Uncle Remus
Uncle Remus's picture

D00d, it's a tital wave.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:33 | Link to Comment GMadScientist
GMadScientist's picture

Credit Angst Halt.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:36 | Link to Comment GeneMarchbanks
GeneMarchbanks's picture

Hitlery works fast. Speech, cyber-attack, Pot-au-feu by supper...

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:41 | Link to Comment Uncle Remus
Uncle Remus's picture

Hitlery, you ignorant ...

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 15:51 | Link to Comment GMadScientist
GMadScientist's picture

Jane, you ignorant...

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 13:32 | Link to Comment Bolweevil
Bolweevil's picture

Flame is self-aware, doesn't like bankers apparently.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:33 | Link to Comment Oldballplayer
Oldballplayer's picture

Thats OK.  They have those freakin little giraffes protecting the vaults.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 14:46 | Link to Comment Seize Mars
Seize Mars's picture

I jump in it.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:34 | Link to Comment Comay Mierda
Comay Mierda's picture

Corzined

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:14 | Link to Comment world_debt_slave
world_debt_slave's picture

Zuckered

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:35 | Link to Comment tocointhephrase
tocointhephrase's picture

the name always reminds me of tadpoles dont know why

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:36 | Link to Comment EL INDIO
EL INDIO's picture

Skynet preventive strike

 

No seriously:

 

We may be witnessing the stealth implementation of a new financial system.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:42 | Link to Comment tocointhephrase
tocointhephrase's picture

Please explain?

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:53 | Link to Comment EL INDIO
EL INDIO's picture

I’m just speculating here. But imagine that secrete treaties have been signed to implement a new system to replace the dying one. I would think, that initially, it has to run in parallel to the existing one to avoid big disruptions then when they are sure it is ready everywhere they would announce/do the switch. This thing is of course too big to let the people know (you know to avoid panic) so it has to be implemented secretly, slowly and area by area to avoid suspicion. I imagine that they are doing a major upgrade

(perhaps both software and hardware) which requires machines to be shutdown/rebooted.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:54 | Link to Comment El Viejo
El Viejo's picture

One World Currency???

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:01 | Link to Comment tocointhephrase
tocointhephrase's picture

Thank you for elaborating

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:06 | Link to Comment Amish Hacker
Amish Hacker's picture

It seems equally likely that instead of running two systems in parallel they would simply allow/cause the first system to fail, then present the next phase of the NWO as the solution. Tah-daah! We fixed it. The Muppets will feel nothing but gratitude.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:15 | Link to Comment EL INDIO
EL INDIO's picture

The new one has to be ready.

You can't role out such a thing overnight !

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 15:23 | Link to Comment Ranger4564
Ranger4564's picture

What if they intend to crash the present banking system and not roll out another one?  No Tah-daah, and nothing like gratitude... we're in shock, awe, disbelief, grief, angry, frustrated, soldiers arrive, military lock down, martial law, good time to finally acknowledge knowledge of aliens and alien history, new global awakening, new feudal system imposed, sheeple will be sheeple^3. Greed prevails, everyone celebrates for having been right about human nature, except that human nature never had a chance to surface because we were always living in a controlled environment, where certain traits are bred in others out. 

Are you looking at me funny?  Pew Pew.  You were looking at me funny... no more.  Ta-da! ;-)

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:40 | Link to Comment Mitzibitzi
Mitzibitzi's picture

Which will obviously leave everybody who ain't holding PMs, land and physical commodities in the poor-house. Cos that's been the plan all along!

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:36 | Link to Comment sabra1
sabra1's picture

believe me, this ain't no glitch!

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:04 | Link to Comment i-dog
i-dog's picture

+1.  Just acceptance testing the takedown (switchover to red money) ... live! on the production system, in the case of those without a full-function test bed.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 15:30 | Link to Comment Ranger4564
Ranger4564's picture

Not every glitch is equal.  Maybe the Oligarchs have the british banking bitchez under control, so the RBS glitch was a heist... maybe the Oligarchs don't have control of the russian banking system yet, so this glitch may be an attack.  I recall hearing, whether right or wrong, that Putin / Medvedev were fighting to prevent the Rothschilds from taking control of Russia... not sure Putin is not already a Rotschilds puppet, that he has that kind of power, or that the country is nonetheless not already under Rotschild control.

Anyhow, I am waiting to see if this was an inside job, outside job, top down job, bottom up job... or just a fuckup.  As far as I'm concerned it could be an internal halt for many reasons, an attack from an outside party such as the arch enemy, or a directive from the R family types, or a hack by the legions of software engineers who have back doors... robin hood style.  Until we see a broader pattern, of this type of event plus the liebor type of revelation, I can't decide.

I agree with you for the most part, most likely condition is a top down take down to undermine the citizenry / investors.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:38 | Link to Comment FXPortent
FXPortent's picture

I don't know if this is just comical or downright horrible.

 

Millions are spent each year on personnel and new hardware/software, yet they still can't get the basics down.

 

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:42 | Link to Comment Mitzibitzi
Mitzibitzi's picture

I hope that was sarcasm? You'd have to still believe in Santa to fall for the official 'glitch' stories.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:59 | Link to Comment Umh
Umh's picture

Just barely good enough to get by meets unintended consequences. Having worked in the IT field from the 70's I'm inclined to believe that security was once again ignored. Most organizations are just lucky that they don't have anything worth attacking. When you combine that with vendor or government back doors you need to pray you have a paranoid systems staff.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:40 | Link to Comment Kaiser Sousa
Kaiser Sousa's picture

Money n the bank = "psyche yo mind"... Silver mother fuckerzs..

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:39 | Link to Comment Uncle Remus
Uncle Remus's picture

Being in IT, I have a rule against working with casinos.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:39 | Link to Comment magpie
magpie's picture

Long Flame derivatives...

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:54 | Link to Comment fuu
fuu's picture

Flaming ruin all around.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:40 | Link to Comment ich1baN
ich1baN's picture

I used to work for JPM and I was directly involved with accounts that dealt with SBERbank... there were always problems back then between reconiliation and dividend payouts. Looks like the short stick has finally hit the depositor on file. I wouldn't be surprised if we see in 3 weeks similar problems to some US banks.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:40 | Link to Comment caimen garou
caimen garou's picture

Dont worry its just the russians maxed their accounts by sending money to the obamas re-election fund!

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:40 | Link to Comment francis_sawyer
francis_sawyer's picture

all your deposits are belong to us...

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:41 | Link to Comment pods
pods's picture

I would bet another of our engineered viruses has escaped into the wild.

pods

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:44 | Link to Comment foxmuldar
foxmuldar's picture

Its my Money and I want it Now! 

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:45 | Link to Comment TheCanadianAustrian
TheCanadianAustrian's picture

I once purchased some professional services from a local club. Very friendly folks. They were willing to extend credit to me even though I had no real history. They knew a lot about motorcycles too. When they came to me and asked for payment, I had the money, there wasn't any problem in that aspect. I explained to them that there was a technical malfunction in my wallet and I couldn't open the zipper. I said I had the best engineers in town working on a solution, and was hopeful that the issue would be ironed out very soon. They were obviously upset, but they understood that these things happen and they weren't about to risk harming my solvency by doing something drastic.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:50 | Link to Comment tony bonn
tony bonn's picture

glitch my fat ass.....this is capital control in the kindest case and outright theft in the worst.....i am inclined toward the latter.....

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:53 | Link to Comment franzpick
franzpick's picture

SHTFPLAN.com points out that stores cannot make change for very long, and recommends storing 1-2 months cash needs in $1s, $5s and $10s, a nice 6 inch average stack: the $20s, $50s and $100s you stashed away may be hard to use.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 13:42 | Link to Comment TPTB_r_TBTF
TPTB_r_TBTF's picture

no no, the 20s, 50s and 100s are the correct dominations to stash.

Things that cost 1$ before, will cost a few 20s after SHTF. Stuff going now for $5 will cost a few 50s, etc...

Hope you got a BIG mattress.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:56 | Link to Comment monad
monad's picture

Last Man Standing. Hey kids, you like musical chairs? 

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:56 | Link to Comment sudzee
sudzee's picture

Deutchmark and Drackma calculations screwing things up?

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 11:58 | Link to Comment GeezerGeek
GeezerGeek's picture

"It seems IT professionals around the world are #failing as the 'glitch..."

Having spent 40 years doing software development, I am pretty certain that this is not a glitch in the software, it is a feature. Software people write code to do as the bosses tell them. Okay, they don't always get it right, but unless the bank just rolled out new software this is more likely a feature built in to achieve some desired result.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:39 | Link to Comment spekulatn
spekulatn's picture

Hopefully these same software folks have a back door they can hit to give the boss a nice shi* samich when all hell breaks loose.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 13:02 | Link to Comment Uncle Remus
Uncle Remus's picture

Likely an undocumented "feature". Wonder if they are still on NT...no, wait, that was OS/2 wasn't it?

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:07 | Link to Comment Doode
Doode's picture

There is no liquidity crisis - it is much more prosaic. A bird on a wire told me that Russian Deutche bank traders and sales folks despite being profitable had not had any bonuses for 4 years straight. The same applies for most banks out there - hence IT folks got tired and decided to show the meaning of being an "expense" when not paid. Hahahahahha

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 16:52 | Link to Comment JoBob
JoBob's picture

SDRII:  Maybe Enhanced Promis or possibly a jot and tiddle to an incarnation of Stuxnet giving it a new purpose in life.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:15 | Link to Comment j0nx
j0nx's picture

2nd bank holiday in the past 2 weeks from two different major banks. When will people see these things for what they are. Glitch my ass.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 13:04 | Link to Comment Uncle Remus
Uncle Remus's picture

Glitchez Bitchez.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 15:38 | Link to Comment MSimon
MSimon's picture

BTFG?

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:15 | Link to Comment CvlDobd
CvlDobd's picture

I swear this is all a big joke by TPTB to see just how stupid everyone is and how much money they can steal from the underclass before shit gets violent. There are bets about how much money will be left in deposit accounts right now between Dimon and Stumpf right now. I swear to them this is all a big game.

 

Humanity is really really dumb.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:19 | Link to Comment CvlDobd
CvlDobd's picture

Dimon to Stumpf: "We halted all debit and credit card operations for 32 hours, blamed it on a glitch and we only lost $7.6 million in deposits. You had over $10 million so pay up sucker!"

Romney to Dimon: "Hey I want in on this action! I'm in for $10,000 on the next halt for 48 hours and WFC only loses $15 million in deposits."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBu-NnAxu80

 

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:18 | Link to Comment No Euros please...
No Euros please we&#039;re British's picture

This new banking software package with instant liquidity control over-ride is proving a real hit with the banks. Coming soon to a(n insolvent) bank near you.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:26 | Link to Comment orkneylad
orkneylad's picture
Another trial run for the big reset
Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:33 | Link to Comment 100percent
100percent's picture

In denmark we just had a 3-day long glitch, where a payment-gateway was down. I takes care of net-banking payments among other things...

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:35 | Link to Comment Benjamin Glutton
Benjamin Glutton's picture

7 Billion dollar Cyprus Bailout check bounced just cleared?

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:48 | Link to Comment hedgehog9999
hedgehog9999's picture

Great way to reduce velocity of withdrawals, blame it on the software........generally accepted for a few days.... as plausible....

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 12:54 | Link to Comment post turtle saver
post turtle saver's picture

"... highest paid IT services groups..."

*snort* bwahahahaha! Good one.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 13:06 | Link to Comment Uncle Remus
Uncle Remus's picture

Rolling bank holidays.

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 13:48 | Link to Comment Seize Mars
Seize Mars's picture

Is RBS back online yet? Or are they still knocked out?

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 15:20 | Link to Comment Germany4Liberty
Germany4Liberty's picture

Here in Germany the "postbank" also have "technical problems" with their atms

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 15:53 | Link to Comment GMadScientist
GMadScientist's picture

In Soviet Russia, ATM withdraws money from you!

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 16:46 | Link to Comment hyper-critical
hyper-critical's picture

So that makes 3 now. Money markets breaking down in Europe. Shibor blowing out in China. This is either a cyber-attack, or something's gone awry in the plumbing...

 

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 21:54 | Link to Comment MedicalQuack
MedicalQuack's picture

You know myself and other techs with much higher IQs than myself have been saying this for a while as it is getting more complex wiht more "code" that has to work together.  That's why I started my series called "The Attack of the Killer Algorithms" to try to educate folks as to what's going on. 

Yes there are glitches but then there are algorithms designed for "desired" results too that are not always accurate.  There's a ton of flawed data out there and people don't know how to work with it.  I probalby have way too many blog posts on these topics truth be known:)  The Facebook IPO I said was the utlimate attack of the killer algorithms.  I wish more would speak out as once you know what goes on behind the scenes it gets ugly.  People don't realize how they get denied money, medical claims and so forth..it's the algorithms dummy! 

I started out on all of this when I found my former doctor who had been dead for 8 years still listed on the web taking patients in the after life. If you missed it, SEC wants NASDAQ to update their code.  Overall updates are supposed to be a good thing, but now you have new code that has to interact with the zillions of tentacles of data out there and nobody what's going to happen until it goes live.  There's other stuff going on like over clocking processors on servers and now the move is to write even more sophisticated algorithms to find the ones that are hiding.  Well the folks that write the ones that hide are getting better too, so glad we have Nanex around and perhaps some day they will get some real attention as they log and study it. 

 

http://ducknetweb.blogspot.com/2012/06/sec-may-have-nasdaq-fix-their-cod...

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 05:57 | Link to Comment zippy_uk
zippy_uk's picture

These guys should have off shored to India like RBS did to stop this problem. Nothing makes computer issues, particularly IT security more managable then sending work to huge off shore centres to some of the most  corrupt countries in the world where the staff turn over is very high and the experience levels incredibly low. Bit like going on an airplane - personally I would prefer to pay a bit extra on the ticket price to have a properly paid experienced pilot keeping me safe rather than some low cost worker at the controls.

Nice to see RBS "got the story straight" by blaming Edinburgh for the upgrade problem. Nothing like putting the finger on the folks running around like dogs to fix the problem. I am sure this was made easier by having the lawyers send out the right messages to the media and making clear company policy around getting the sack. I am sure the RBS line is that the orginal problem was he upgrade failing - and anything done in India after that "does not count". Personally I think the orginal story about deleting the schedule rings true and the PR + Lawyer people have closed the story down. We will see soon enough - I have seen these issues in India where I work (I don't work for RBS or on CA7).

 

Worst joke of all is the IT security adminstration of account access to sensitive applications is also done out of India - If I wanted to crack bank security to its systems I would spend very little of my money on that angle, and will little need for any expertise - you only need one system account access to get the lot if you pick the right one.

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