Hackers installed malicious software into Nasdaq computer systems last year that allowed them to spy on the directors of publicly held companies, according to people familiar with a current investigation.   The new details indicate that the hack-attack was much more serious that initially thought. Back in February, Nasdaq OMX Group said it had been the target of hackers, but that there was no evidence that customer information was accessed.  Now, the exchange does not know what, if any, information might have been stolen.  The investigation into the attack, involving the FBI and National Security Agency, is ongoing. However, it's still unclear how long Nasdaq's system was breached before the attack was discovered last October.  That's scary.

"God knows exactly what they have done. The long term impact of such attack is still unknown." -- Tom Kellermann, well-known cyber security expert who deals with central banks and other high-profile financial institutions..

Blended Attack. Nasdaq was hit by a so-called was a "blended attack," where elite hackers infiltrate one target to facilitate access to another.  A similar attack occurred in March, when hackers stole digital security keys from EMC Corp's RSA Security division, which they later used to breach the networks of defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. While the hack attack may not have compromised Nasdaq's trading platforms, they did manage to a Web-based software program called Directors Desk, used by corporate boards to share documents and communicate with executives, among other things.  After infecting Directors Desk, the hackers were able to access confidential documents and the communications of board directors. They also were able to spy on "scores" of directors who logged onto directorsdesk.com before the malicious software was removed. [Reuters, 10/21/11]