World Bank removes its Chief Information Officer after cyber attacks

Washington, Nov.27 : The World Bank has dumped a vice president who served as its chief information officer in the wake of its information systems being hacked.

According to Fox News, Robert Van Pulley, a computer security director, will take responsibility for the institution's embattled information system "effective immediately and until more permanent arrangements are in place."

He replaces World Bank Vice President Guy Pierre De Poerck, an e-mail sent to staffers Tuesday evening by Juan Jose Daboub, one of three managing directors at the World Bank, said.

Van Pulley will report to a new executive council on computer security that includes Daboub and two other top World Bank officials.

World Bank officials would say Wednesday only that De Poerck's employment had not changed; they declined to offer any further information.

Outsiders raided the World Bank Group's network, said to be one of the largest repositories of sensitive data about the economies of every nation, repeatedly for more than a year.

Fox News quoted sources inside the bank as saying that servers in the institution's highly restricted Treasury unit were deeply penetrated with spy software, and that the invaders also had full access to the rest of the bank's network for nearly a month in June and July.

At least six major breaches have been detected at the World Bank since the summer of 2007, with the most recent breach occurring just last month.

ANI