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Codebreaker

Next-generation ZeuS means trouble for you and your money

John Moe Feb 3, 2011

We reported on ZeuS last fall – it’s a piece of malware that is very hard to detect, not that hard to infect your computer with, and very popular among criminals. The malware wil lay low, trying to get any information it can about your online banking, recording keystrokes to steal passwords and account numbers. Then, it sends that information back to a main hub and the cyber criminals steal money with all the info they’ve got. Last fall, over 100 people were arrested for taking money with this code. Now, there’s a new version of malware that uses some of ZeuS’s features and some features of another piece of malware called SpyEye. It’s just emerged, and some of the new things it can do include overcoming software designed to protect a user’s connection with a bank server. Plus, it will let a criminal connect to a victim’s computer using Remote Desktop Protocol.

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