NOTE: The article below is as was originally printed on Kim Komandos site; I literally copied and pasted it into my e-mail, as I also will onto my Facebook page, too. It is untouched, nothings been changed in it. The U.S. Department of Justice is sounding the alarm on two widespread viruses. The first, CryptoLocker, youve heard me talk about before. Last year, I warned you about this virus that holds your computer files for ransom and explained how to protect yourself. Unfortunately, it is still spreading, with 1 in 30 computers getting the virus and up to 40 percent of people who get it paying the thieves to get their files back. In fact, even the police in Swansea, Massachusetts, paid $750. How secure does that make you feel? The second virus that works closely with CryptoLocker is called Gameover Zeus. Its a version of the Zeus botnet, which is designed to infect your computer, steal your bank account information and clean out your money. How dangerous is Gameover Zeus? So far, it has stolen an estimated $100 million from companies - including banks - and individuals and funneled it to Russian and Eastern European hackers. Unlike the regular Zeus botnet, which hackers control with a few servers that governments can shut down, Gameover Zeus is decentralized. That means law enforcement can take down part of it, like the Ukrainian government did back in May, but it wont hurt the tens or hundreds of thousands of other computers running it. Obviously, you need to be running security software to guard the easiest paths these viruses have to get on your computer. Click here to download free security software if you dont have any. CryptoLocker and Gameover Zeus mainly spread through phishing scams, such as fake email or websites. That lets them bypass your security in many cases. Learn how to spot fake email so you arent fooled. You should also beware of watering hole attacks like this one. They can easily load a virus on your system if you visit the wrong website. Click here to learn more about detecting and removing viruses from your computer. If you get CryptoLocker, there isnt much you can do to recover your files aside from paying. Be sure youre backing up your data so you can easily wipe your system and start over. If you find and remove Gameover Zeus, youll immediately want to change your banking account password. Click here for steps to create a new, secure password. Source: Department of Justice warns public to protect their PCs image Department of Justice warns public to protect their PCs A US-led operation has disrupted an international crime ring that infected hundreds of thousands of PCs across the globe. View on dailymail.co.uk Preview by Yahoo Embrace the Good News Les Hyde
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 11:57:34 +0000