UK’s National Crime Agency has issued a warning for everyone regarding some serious virus, malware and ransomware threat which are currently circulating the internet.
They have also stressed that proper steps are to be taken immediately. It has been suggested that public only has two weeks before these threats are back again.
What to do now?
There is a list of todo items which can be done in order to combat or clean up these nasty virus / malware. If you are not sure what/how to do. Please get in touch with Indra-Design and we can provide you with these services.
We normally have a set of questions to go through with you and decide the action based on what you tell us. This can normally be done by phone or is possible home/office visit.
(Content below extracted from getsafeonline.org)
The Threat
Cyber criminals are constantly devising new types of malware to commit financial theft, fraud, identity theft and other crimes against ordinary people. The proceeds of their crime are also used to fund further organised crime. This latest threat is particularly insidious as it uses two different types of malware to infect your computer in order to commit these crimes:
1. A virus known as Gameover Zeus, GOZeus, or P2PZeus
This is a type of aggressive malware which infects your computer so that it can effectively be ‘taken over’ by the criminals. It can be used for a number of different criminal activities such as viewing your files, monitoring your bank accounts, sending emails in your name and even using your webcam to physically spy on you.
2. Ransomware known as CryptoLocker
CryptoLocker is a virus which criminals use to prevent you opening any files – effectively locking down your PC – before issuing you with a ransom demand. If you pay the ransom, there is no guarantee that it will be unlocked. Once your computer is locked, it is effectively rendered useless as you cannot access your email, files, photos, music or bookmarks.
How computers get infected
You probably receive many emails claiming to be from your or another bank, a government body or other official source, urging you to check your account, claim a refund or other action. Many of these are phishing emails containing links to bogus websites, or attachments which you are told to open, which actually contain malware hidden in what is known as a Trojan. In this case, the criminals have also stolen or hacked email lists and can make it make it appear as if these are spam emails coming from a friend’s email account.
In this particular attack, the act of opening the attachment in such an email automatically ‘tells’ the Trojan to download the Gameover Zeus and CryptoLocker from a server normally located abroad, of which there are thousands which exist purely for criminal purposes.
How does the attack work?
If Gameover Zeus cannot ‘find’ enough on your computer to make a profit for the criminals, CryptoLocker will take over, effectively lock down your machine and demand a ransom.
