WARNING ON YAHOO Computer users are being urged to protect their machines from malware which allows hackers to steal financial data. British investigators have been working with the FBI to trace the hackers behind ongoing attacks, and the botnet system used by the targets has been temporarily disrupted. But the UKs National Crime Agency says people have just two weeks before the system could be functioning again, and urged people to protect their computers from an expected powerful computer attack. Between 500,000 and one million machines have so far been infected worldwide, according to court documents. US officials have accused a Russian hacker of masterminding the scam - and prosecutors say those involved have already raked in more than $100m (£60m). The NCA is urging people to back up important files and make sure their security software and operating system are up to date. Two pieces of malware software known as GOZeuS and CryptoLocker are responsible for the alert. They typically infect a computer via attachments or links in emails. If a user clicks on GOZeuS, it silently monitors activity and tries to capture information such as bank details. (The links or attachments) may look like they have been sent by genuine contacts and may purport to carry invoices, voicemail messages, or any file made to look innocuous, the NCA warned. These emails are generated by other victims computers, who do not realise they are infected, and are used to send mass emails creating more victims. The Cryptolocker malware is activated if the first attack is not profitable enough. It locks a user from their files and threatens to delete them unless a ransom of several hundred pounds is paid. Some 234,000 machines were hit by Cryptolocker - bringing in $27m (£16m) in payments - in its first two months, the US Justice Department said. More than 15,500 computers in the UK are infected and many more are at risk, according to the NCA.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Jun 2014 18:13:16 +0000
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