The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has been targeted by a "large and sophisticated cyberattack" that has put sensitive information of its systems at risk of being compromised.

A report in the New York Times, which first published the report, said that IMF is "the repository of highly confidential information about the fiscal condition of many nations."

Sensitive information about national economies are at risk of being stolen.

The report also said that the attack was under way over the last several months and was disclosed internally by the IMF on Wednesday to its staff and board of directors. An IMF spokesman has said that the international body is investigating the ‘incident’ but did not give more details.

The attack comes after the IMF was hit by a sex scandal involving former chief, Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Kahn was arrested in New York last month for allegedly sexually assaulting a hotel maid.