IMF Hit by Cyberattack in 'Major Breach'

The IMF has another problem to worry about: Hackers pulled off what the New York Times calls a "large and sophisticated attack" that compromises sensitive financial data from around the world. "This was a very major breach," says an anonymous official. It's not clear what the hackers were after or what they got, but the World Bank is so worried that it severed the computer link with its sister organization.

The attack happened before the scandal involving former leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and the International Monetary Fund has been trying to keep it low-key. “We are investigating an incident, and the fund is fully functional,” is all that a spokesman would say. The IMF is privy to sensitive data from nations seeking bailouts, information that could roil world markets. Click to read about the recent hack of Citigroup. (More IMF stories.)