zeus

Zeus botnet steals $47M from European bank customers

A new version of the Zeus botnet was used to steal about $47 million from European banking customers in the past year, security researchers report.

Dubbed "Eurograbber" by security vendors Versafe and Check Point Software Technologies in a report (PDF) released today, the malware is designed to defeat the two-factor authentication process banks use for transactions by intercepting bank messages sent to victims' phones.

A variant of the Zeus malware used to steal more than $100 million, Eurograbber typically launched its attack when a victim clicked on a malicious link most likely included in a phishing attempt. After … Read more

Microsoft identifies two Zeus botnet crime ring suspects

Microsoft released the identities of two alleged members of the Zeus botnet crime ring, which used an estimated 13 million computers infected with the malware to steal more than $100 million.

The botnet operators used the software to show fake or modified Web sites when victims tried to use real banking sites, log their keystrokes to capture victims' identity information, and then use that information to steal money from victims' accounts.

The software giant announced today it had amended a complaint last week to add Yevhen Kulibaba and Yuriy Konovalenko as defendants. The pair is already serving time in the … Read more

The long arm of Microsoft tries taking down Zeus botnets

Microsoft and financial services organizations, with an escort of U.S. Marshals, seized command-and-control servers Friday to take down botnets allegedly used to steal more than $100 million using an estimated 13 million computers infected with the Zeus malware.

After raids in Scranton, Pa., and Lombard, Ill., "some of the worst known Zeus botnets were disrupted by Microsoft and our partners worldwide," Microsoft announced Sunday night in a post by Richard Domingues Boscovich, senior attorney with Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit.

The defendants allegedly installed the Zeus malware and close relatives called Ice-IX and SpyEye onto victims' computers, … Read more

Surge in malware marks start of year

The first three months of the year have so far witnessed a rise in malware and some notable cyberattacks, according to a report released today by Panda Security.

Tracking a big jump in malware (PDF), Panda Security has uncovered on average around 73,000 new types of threats being released every day. That's a 26 percent increase during this year's first quarter compared with the same period in 2010.

Among the various flavors of malware, Trojan horses have accounted for around 70 percent of all threats so far this year. That points to Trojans as a tool favored … Read more

Malware in fake White House e-card steals data

An e-mail sent to an unknown number of government employees and contractors two days before Christmas appeared to be a holiday greeting from the White House but instead hid malware that stole data.

The innocent-looking holiday e-greeting prompted recipients to click to view the card, but when the file was opened, malware known as "Zeus" was downloaded to the computer, according to reports. Zeus is known as a banking Trojan horse designed to steal passwords and online credentials, mostly for financial fraud.

The Department of Homeland Security is "aware of and monitoring the situation," spokeswoman Amy … Read more

Fortinet: Job outlook improving for cybercrooks

Cybercriminals are likely to find more jobs next year, one of five top trends forecast by security vendor Fortinet.

In an ironic twist in the job market, more positions will open up for developers who can write customized malware packers, people who can break CAPTCHA codes, and distributors who can spread malicious code, according to Fortinet.

And though cybercrooks have typically deployed their own botnets themselves, Fortinet believes this job will increasingly be farmed out to middlemen, citing the Alureon and Hiloti botnets as two examples of malware distributed this way. Money mules responsible for wiring funds and cashing checks … Read more

McAfee: Spam down, but malware up

Spam hit a two-year low this past quarter, but malware is at an all-time high, according to McAfee's latest Threats Report.

Out today, the "McAfee Threats Report: Third Quarter 2010" (PDF) found that though spam is still high, it continued its overall decline from January, both globally and nationally. With the exception of Russia, Greece, Belarus, and Indonesia, all countries tracked by McAfee showed a drop in spam levels.

So much for the good news.

On the down side, malware has reached an all-time high, according to the security technology company, which identified an average of 60,000 new threats each day in the third quarter, almost quadrupling since 2007. For 2010 so far, McAfee has discovered 14 million unique pieces of malware, a million more than this time last year.

One of the more "sophisticated" threats that reared its head this year was the Zeus botnet, designed to steal information during banking transactions. Over the third quarter, Zeus expanded its scope by targeting mobile devices, specifically attempting to grab SMS messages sent to validate the transactions. McAfee also noticed a rise in e-mail campaigns launched to spread the botnet by sending out messages claiming to come from FedEx, the IRS, the U.S. Post Office, and other such parties.… Read more

Week in review: PlayBook enters tablet playing field

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is attempting its own rewrite of the playbook for the nascent but increasingly competitive tablet market.

Showing the rest of the world that it's not just a boring, yet eminently reliable smartphone maker anymore, RIM on Monday unveiled its PlayBook, a tablet device due to hit the U.S. market sometime early next year.

As was widely rumored, RIM announced the PlayBook at the opening keynote event at its DevCon developer conference in San Francisco. The device has a 7-inch touch screen, is just under 10 millimeters thick, has a front- and back-facing camera … Read more

Dozens charged in use of Zeus Trojan to steal $3 million

The FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office in southern New York announced charges today against 37 people accused of being part of an international crime ring that stole $3 million from bank accounts by infecting computers with the Zeus Trojan and other malware.

Between federal and state charges, more than 60 people total are being charged in the operation, officials said.

Ten people were arrested today by federal and New York law enforcement officers and another 10 were previously arrested in the U.S. as part of a coordinated takedown, authorities said. Seventeen people are still being sought … Read more

U.K. police charge 10 people with Zeus fraud

Police have charged 10 people with stealing millions of pounds from online bank accounts using the Zeus Trojan.

One other person was arrested and charged in connection with the Police Central eCrime Unit operation, for possession of false identity papers, police said in a statement yesterday.

The 11 Eastern Europeans appeared at Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court today for a procedural hearing, ZDNet UK was told at Westminster Magistrates' Court. The defendants were all remanded in custody by the magistrate on today. They were arrested Tuesday in various locations in Essex and kept in custody at central London police stations.

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