Spear Phishing Technique Likely Used to Attack IMF

According to security researchers, a cyber-assault against the International Monetary Fund a worldwide financial organization may've been launched with the so-called spear phishing technique, states Eweek.com dated June 13, 2011.

Indeed according to numerous security specialists, the assault may've had certain backing or sponsorship from a country.

Apparently, the attackers intentionally contaminated a PC belonging to the IMF with an information-stealing Trojan. Stated an anonymous officer, the hack resulted in an extremely prominent reach. Eweek.com reported this.

Meanwhile, on June 1, 2011, e-mail alerts were sent to IMF employees regarding increased phishing operations. The alerts directed them not to view electronic mails from unfamiliar sources, nor click unsolicited attachments or web-links promising video clips. Further, whilst IMF personnel and board members got a memorandum circulated internally on June 8, 2011 regarding the real online assault, people were waiting for the organization to confirm the incident publicly.

Stated Spokesman David Hawley for IMF that while investigation into the happening was on, the fund continued to operate fully. Scmagazineuk.com reported this on June 13, 2011.

In the meantime, investigations so far disclose that one staff member of the IMF had been notified through e-mail regarding the hack as well as that experts spotted dubious file transfers. Furthermore, somebody had hijacked a desktop machine belonging to the organization with which certain Fund systems had been accessed, the investigations indicated.

Remarking about the above assault, Chairman Dave Jevans of Anti-Phishing Working Group stated that no one was immune. Crn.com reported this on July 13, 2011.

Indeed Jevans argued that more extremely advanced assaults were expected, which would target big organizations similar to IMF since they were expected to be more sophisticated and intense.

Said partner Stewart Room for European law company Field Fisher Waterhouse, it was deeply troubling to hear about the assault since it also delineated more clues of systematic assaults against sensitive systems and crucial infrastructures. Scmagazineuk.com reported this.

Room queried as to how long such assaults required being tolerated prior to politicians passing cyber-security law. According to him, while it was most important to safeguard crucial system structures, there was a desperate need for legislation too.

» SPAMfighter News - 21-06-2011

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