Nasdaq acknowledges hit by hackers

WASHINGTON: The Nasdaq stock exchange said Saturday that hackers penetrated one of its computer systems, but that there was no evidence customer information or trading was compromised.

"Through our normal security monitoring systems we detected suspicious files on the US servers unrelated to our trading systems," said Frank DeMaria, spokesman for Nasdaq OMX Group Inc., parent company of the Nasdaq.

Nasdaq said its Internet-based Directors Desk, which allows corporate boards to communicate and exchange information, was "potentially affected" by the breach, which was discovered at the end of last year, DeMaria said.

"The files were immediately removed and at this point there is no evidence that any Directors Desk customer information was accessed or acquired by hacker," DeMaria's statement continued.

Nasdaq's trading platform operates separately, "and at no point was any of Nasdaq OMX's operated or serviced trading platforms compromised," he said.

The US Department of Justice was notified and is investigating. A spokesman for the FBI declined to comment to AFP on Saturday.

Nasdaq said it also called in private forensic firms to assist its investigation.

US investigators had asked Nasdaq to keep the information from public view until at least February 14 "in order to facilitate the continuing investigation," Nasdaq said in its statement.

But Nasdaq, which had agreed to the request, decided to notify customers Saturday after the Wall Street Journal published a story about the hacking.

"Cyber attacks against corporations and government occur constantly. NASDAQ OMX remains vigilant against such attacks," DeMaria said. "We have been working in cooperation with the government's ongoing investigations and have received their technical advice for which we are appreciative."