Foreign government allegedly behind cyberattack on IMF
The International Monetary Fund suffered a "major breach" earlier this year that allowed hackers to access a "large quantity" of data, staff and board members were told by e-mail last week. The organization has made no public statement, but sources speaking to the New York Times said that breach lasted several months, with a source "familiar with the attack" telling Bloomberg that the attack was the work of an unspecified foreign government.
Staff were told that suspicious file transfers were detected two weeks ago, and that these were linked to a compromised desktop computer within the IMF. They were also reassured that there was no evidence that personal data was taken or that they would be victims of fraud.
The hacks predate the arrest of IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on charges of sexual assualt. The IMF holds detailed financial data about foreign economies, as well as documentation of negotiations and discussions with those countries, much of which is private and sensitive, and it's this information that was the most likely target. Other financial institutions such as the French Ministry of Finances and Canadian Finance Department and Treasury Board have also been the victim of data-theft hacks this year.
