A sophisticated malware intrusion brings concerns to the I.M.F.

This news comes in a vulnerable time as the fund is still actively seeking someone to replace recently arrested managing director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn. 

The intrusion was described as a "spear phishing" attack that led an unsuspecting victim to a link where a malicious program allowed entrance into the fund's network, reported the New York Times. 

Officials at the fund are taking the attack very serious as it showed signs of a well researched and IMF specific execution. 

There are no suspect of the attack as of yet. And, although the purpose of the cyberattack is not yet determined, official at the fund are concerned sensitive information may have been infiltrated. 

From the New York Times: 

Because the fund has been at the center of economic bailout programs for Portugal, Greece and Ireland — and possesses sensitive data on other countries that may be on the brink of crisis — its database contains potentially market-moving information. It also includes communications with national leaders as they negotiate, often behind the scenes, on the terms of international bailouts. Those agreements are, in the words of one fund official, “political dynamite in many countries.” It was unclear what information the attackers were able to access.

From the Telegraph: 

"Perhaps most frightening of all is the fact that these type of attacks could quite easily be directed towards Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) organisations, for example energy and water, where the impact of such a breach would have severe, immediate and potentially life-threatening consequences for everyday citizens."

Last week, Leon Panetta, the CIA director, told Congress on June 9 that the United States faced the "real possibility" of a devastating cyber attack on the electricity grid, security, financial and governmental systems.

Adding to concerns, a recent string of virus and malware attacks, including intrusions to web security group RSA, have caught the attention of the world--in some cases forcing authorities to take action.