Details scarce so far; emails, other sensitive data may have been compromised

Dark Reading Staff, Dark Reading

June 13, 2011

1 Min Read

The International Monetary Fund is warning employees of potential spear-phishing attacks that could occur following a "major" breach that might involve email and other sensitive data, according to news reports.

The IMF has not made a public statement, but news reports by The New York Times and Bloomberg indicate that the breach is a "major" compromise that could have involved an unnamed foreign government.

According to the reports, the IMF sent a message to employees warning them of potential spear-phishing attacks that might occur following the compromise of the data. Another memo reportedly states that the IMF is cutting off its connection to the World Bank as a precautionary measure.

Experts suggested that the warnings about spear phishing could indicate that an infection might have been spread via email. Others suggested that the warnings might indicate that a database containing employee email addresses might have been among the compromised systems.

Bloomberg quoted an unnamed source who stated that a "large quantity" of data had been compromised, possibly over a period of weeks. IMF spokespeople are not commenting.

Have a comment on this story? Please click "Comment" below. If you'd like to contact Dark Reading's editors directly, send us a message.

About the Author(s)

Dark Reading Staff

Dark Reading

Dark Reading is a leading cybersecurity media site.

Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities, data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to your email inbox.

You May Also Like


More Insights