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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (4) Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Missing Alaska sled dog musher turns up alive, safe 11 Jun 2011 Obama says to weigh new steps to boost jobs 11 Jun 2011 UPDATE 5-IMF becomes latest known target of major cyber attack 12:44am EDT Bug expert testifies Caylee Anthony's body was moved 11 Jun 2011 Chilean ash cloud disrupts New Zealand-Australian flights 11 Jun 2011 Discussed 119 Alabama governor signs nation’s toughest immigration law 74 U.S. debt default unimaginable, creditors say 74 Obama weighs new steps to boost jobs Watched Outrage over point blank teen killing in Pakistan Thu, Jun 9 2011 Bodypainters apply their skill Mon, Jul 19 2010 Lagarde: Debt would top agenda if she leads IMF Sat, Jun 11 2011 small business Talent search favors tech giants Recruiters say the Web 2.0 hiring boom, which counters nationwide unemployment above 9 percent, shows no sign of abating. And startups are having to be very creative to lure potential hires away from Google and other tech giants. Full Article Silicon Valley recruiter: "Everyone's desperate" 5 reasons to join a startup after graduating IMF becomes latest known target of major cyber attack Tweet Share this Email Print Related News IMF attack goal said to be network "insider presence" Sat, Jun 11 2011 FBI investigating IMF computer hack, Pentagon says Sat, Jun 11 2011 Analysis & Opinion Tech wrap: Spain makes Sony attack arrests Tech wrap: Myspace sale saga nears end Related Topics Technology » Media » The IMF nameplate is displayed on a wall at the headquarters during the World Bank/International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington April 11, 2008. Credit: Reuters/Jonathan Ernst By Jim Wolf and Jim Finkle WASHINGTON/BOSTON | Sun Jun 12, 2011 1:25am EDT WASHINGTON/BOSTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund, the intergovernmental group that oversees the global financial system and brings together 187 member nations, has become the latest known target of a significant cyber attack. A cybersecurity expert who has worked for both the Washington-headquartered IMF and the World Bank, its sister institution, said the intruders' goal had been to install software that would give a nation-state a "digital insider presence" on the IMF network. Such a presence could yield a trove of non-public economic data used by the Fund to promote exchange rate stability, support balanced international trade and provide resources to remedy members' balance-of-payments crises. "It was a targeted attack," said Tom Kellerman, who has worked for both international financial institutions and who serves on the board of a group known as the International Cyber Security Protection Alliance. The code used in the IMF incident was developed specifically for the attack on the institution, said Kellerman, formerly responsible for cyber-intelligence within the World Bank's treasury team and now chief technology officer at AirPatrol, a cyber consultancy. The attack on the IMF was the latest to become known in a rash of cyber break-ins that have targeted high-profile companies and institutions, often to steal secrets with potentially far-reaching economic implications. The list of victims includes Lockheed Martin Corp, Sony Corp and Citigroup Inc. IMF spokesman David Hawley said Saturday the Fund was "fully functional," despite the attack. "I can confirm that we are investigating an incident," he said, adding that he was not in a position to elaborate on the extent of it. He declined to respond to requests for comment on Kellerman's conclusion about the intruders' goal. The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is helping to investigate the attack on the IMF, according to a U.S. Defense Department spokeswoman. DIFFICULT TO PROVE A World Bank official said the Bank had cut its network connection with the IMF out of "caution" even though the information shared on that link was "non sensitive." Rich Mills, a Bank spokesman, said "the World Bank Group, like any other large organization, is increasingly aware of potential threats to the security of our information system and we are constantly working to improve our defenses." Jeff Moss, a self-described computer hacker and member of the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Committee, said he believed the attack was conducted on behalf of a nation-state looking to either steal sensitive information about key IMF strategies or embarrass the organization to undermine its clout. He said it could inspire attacks on other large institutions. "If they can't catch them, I'm afraid it might embolden others to try," said Moss, who is chief security officer for ICANN. But cyber security experts cautioned it might be difficult for investigators to prove which nation was behind the attack. "Even developing nations are able to leverage the Internet in order to change their standing and ability to influence," said Jeffrey Carr, author of the book, "Inside Cyber Warfare." "It's something they never could have done before without gold or without military might," Carr said. Experts say cyber threats are increasing worldwide. CIA Director Leon Panetta told the U.S. Congress this week the United States faced the "real possibility" of a crippling cyber attack. "The next Pearl Harbor that we confront," he said, could be a cyber attack that "cripples our power systems, our grid, our security systems, our financial systems, our governmental systems." "This is a real possibility in today's world," Panetta told a June 9 confirmation hearing in his bid to become the next U.S. defense secretary. 'SUSPICIOUS FILE TRANSFERS' Bloomberg News reported the attack occurred before the May 14 arrest of former IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn on sexual assault charges. It resulted in the loss of e-mails and other documents, Bloomberg said. The New York Times cited computer experts as saying the IMF's board of directors was told of the attack on Wednesday, though the assault had lasted several months. An Internal IMF memo issued on Wednesday warned employees to be on their guard. "Last week we detected some suspicious file transfers, and the subsequent investigation established that a Fund desktop computer had been compromised and used to access some Fund systems," said a June 8 email to employees from Chief Information Officer Jonathan Palmer. Details of the email were first reported by Bloomberg. Reuters' sources confirmed the wording of the email. "At this point, we have no reason to believe that any personal information was sought for fraud purposes," the message to employees said. Lockheed Martin Corp, the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier by sales and the biggest information technology provider to the U.S. government, disclosed two weeks ago that it had thwarted a "significant" cyber attack. It said it had become a "frequent target of adversaries around the world." Also hit recently have been Citigroup Inc, Sony Corp and Google Inc. The IMF is seeking a new head following the resignation of Strauss-Kahn after he was charged with the sexual assault of a New York hotel maid. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton, Jim Finkle, Jim Wolf, Jim Vicini; Editing by Peter Cooney, Todd Eastham and Paul Simao) Technology Media Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. Comments (4) dumbdumb wrote: Yea right someone picked on a link and downloaded a trojan on the web, because they have bad IT people and they are calling it an attack. Get some real IT people! Jun 11, 2011 9:13pm EDT -- Report as abuse Alfred.Brock wrote: The IMF will be disbanded. No one believes in them except those profiting from it. Jun 11, 2011 10:17pm EDT -- Report as abuse RudyHaugeneder wrote: These are test attacks. When the really big one(s) hits, worldwide, we will all thrown back to the stone age — without the once much-feared nuclear MAD conflagration. And nobody will be able to hit back at the unseen enemy since the ones who launched the attack will never been known until after all has first been crushed. Even if no such human attack ever occurs, massive solar storms will do the same thing, with the same end result. Jun 11, 2011 11:38pm EDT -- Report as abuse See All Comments » Add Your Comment Social Stream (What's this?) © Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service Reuters on Facebook Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. 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