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NEW YORK, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Computer hackers have been snooping around the Nasdaq stock exchange, but have yet to perpetrate a serious crime, sources told The Wall Street Journal. Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. operates the computer system, where hackers have repeatedly tunneled into the system, but stopped short of breaching the programs that manage trading, the Journal reported Saturday.
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The Secret Service started the investigation, which now includes the FBI.
"So far (hackers) appear to have just been looking around," one source told the newspaper.
A computer security export, Tom Kellermann, formerly employed by the World Bank, said, "Many sophisticated hackers don't immediately try to monetize the situation. They oftentimes do what's called local information gathering, almost like collecting intelligence to ascertain what would be the best way in the long run to monetize their presence."
The Journal said there are concerns the hacking originated in Russia, but the evidence is not conclusive. Hackers from any location could be simply using Russian computers as links without anyone in Russia aware of it.
Nasdaq officials declined to comment on the case. Often, companies keep quiet about hacking activity to avoid prompting copycat attacks, the Journal said.
