The International Monetary Fund is investigating a cyberattack that it recently discovered and has put in place additional security measures, an IMF spokesman said on Saturday.

The fund is fully functional, said IMF spokesman David Hawley. I can confirm that we are investigating an incident. I am not in a position to elaborate further on the extent of the cybersecurity incident.

The IMF, which has sensitive information on the economics of many nations, was hit during the last several months by what computer experts described as a large and sophisticated cyberattack, The New York Times reported.

The newspaper said the IMF's board of directors was told about the attack on Wednesday.

The IMF is seeking a new head following the resignation of its former chief, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, after he was charged with sexual assault of a New York hotel maid.

(Reporting by Lisa Shumaker; editing by Chris Wilson)

United nations International Monetary Fund