Fake internet postcards carry deadly 'Zeus Bot' virus
By siliconindia   |   Monday, 27 July 2009, 17:53 IST   |    1 Comments
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Fake internet postcards carry deadly 'Zeus Bot' virus
Bangalore: Fake Internet postcards which are commonly circulated through e- mails worldwide carry links to a deadly virus known as Zeus Bot, warns a recent study. The virus has already affected around 3.6 million computers in the U.S., and has been declared as America's most pervasive computer virus, says Gary Warner, Computer Forensics Director, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). "These fake postcards ask users to click and download to view the contents, and as soon as they do so, the Zeus Bot infects their computers," said Warner, who led the study. After entering a computer, the Zeus Bot provides access to the passwords and account numbers of banks and other sensitive online accounts to the cyber criminals. These cyber criminals employ the Russian-language Zeus Bot software by using the fake internet postcards as the latest mechanism to download the virus software into unaware users' computers. The virus is able to steal website data from victims' machines. It keeps a track of infected machines throughout the world and is equipped with tools that allow the criminals to prioritize the banks they want to strike, said Warner. "When it comes to messages that are supposedly from your bank, eBay or any other site, don't click on the links in an e-mail," he warns. "Instead, type the address for the site that the message is coming from into your web browser and log in. If the site has an important message for you, you will be able to find it," he added.

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