The computer systems of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have been the target of a months-long hack attack, according to a cybersecurity expert who said the goal of the infiltration appeared to be to establish a presence within the system and gain inside information.
Reuters reported Monday that, although the IMF was told Wednesday about the attack, it had been going on for several months. On Sunday cybersecurity expert Mohan Koo, who is also the managing director of Dtex Systems, U.K., said in a statement, "The IMF attack was clearly designed to infiltrate the IMF with the intention of gaining sensitive 'insider privileged information.'"
The IMF's Chief Information Officer Jonathan Palmer told staff that suspicious file transfers had been discovered, and that a desktop computer "had been compromised and used to access some Fund systems. At this point, we have no reason to believe that any personal information was sought for fraud purposes."