If you had any doubts about how devious financial malware is, watch this BBC Click programme and read the article on how the established chameleon malware Zeus – a so-called Trojan – tricks some of the most established security products around, and gets away with monetary murder.
Check out these great insights on financial malware from BBC Click:
With Zeus in your machine, you can’t be sure what transactions go on behind your back, what sensitive information of yours is being shared in cyberspace, and how much money you could end up losing.
Didn’t fool BullGuard, though. We passed, because our Behavioural Detection technology doesn’t have to wait around for old-school signature based virus databases to detect and register the never-ending succession of guises Zeus uses, to trick unsuspecting consumers into handing over too much information and money.
The short version:
Behavioural Detection is a ‘guilty until proven innocent’ technology: if it walks like a virus, talks like a virus and dances like a virus it probably is, and is therefore quarantined. The nanosecond it exhibits any kind of virusy behaviour it is neutralized and no longer dangerous.
What is a Man-in-the-Browser attack?
The Man-in-the-browser (MiTB) breaks into your bank by getting you to let him in.
These attacks are very sophisticated, and a real challenge to internet security. It can infect a web browser and has the ability to modify web pages, modify transaction content or insert additional transactions, all in a completely covert fashion invisible to both the user and host application.
Unlike most of the suites featured in the BBC Click programme, BullGuard caught the malware with the just the standard settings, whereas many other security suites needed to have their settings turned up to max.
Zeus (also known as Zbot, PRG, Wsnpoem, Gorhax and Kneber) is a Trojan horse that steals banking information by keystroke logging and Form Grabbing. Zeus is spread mainly through drive-by downloads and phishing schemes.
First identified in July 2007 when it was used to steal information from the United States Department of Transportation, it became widespread in March 2009. In June 2009, a security company discovered that Zeus had compromised over 74,000 FTP accounts on websites of such companies as the Bank of America, NASA, Monster, ABC, Oracle, Cisco, Amazon, and BusinessWeek.
These attacks cost US banks an estimated $1 billion every year
Find out how you can get rid of Zeus.
What you should do now:
Afraid you’re infected?
- If your transaction takes longer than normal, there’s a chance it’s going via a fraudsters system.
- If asked for more information than normal, especially if you’re asked for entire passwords when previously you were only asked for part, your machine might be infected.
- If you suspect something is wrong, contact your bank by PHONE, not by e-mail.
The 2 crucial tips on how to protect yourself and your computer:
- Use anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date on a regular basis.
- Download the latest security updates (or patches) for your web browser and operating system.
Are you worried about banking online? Share your thoughts: