PC-based virus targets android-run gadgets

CEBU, Philippines - Anti-virus company, Kaspersky Lab has warned android-run devices users of the existence of another version of notorious PC-based ZeuS Trojan virus, which targets devices running Google’s Android operating system.

Based on July 2011 Malware Statistics report of leading secure content and threat management solutions developer Kaspersky Lab the new Trojan is actually an updated version of the ZitMo spaying Trojan, which previously targeted devices running Symbian, Windows Mobile, and BlackBerry operating system.

Kaspersky Lab also highlighted the occurrence of ZitMo in mobile platforms, showing that it is found largely in Symbian, followed by Android, Windows Mobil, and lastly Blackberry OS.

According to Kaspersky Lab expert Vyacheslaw Zakorzhevsky the presence of the new ZitMo Trojan targeting Android phones is already indicative of the direction cybercriminals are taking in their quest to invade private users and steal their bank account information.

It also shows cybercriminals are augmenting their arsenal of weapons by expanding to other operating systems, especially Android, the prevalent OS of mobile devices.

The new ZitMo Trojan is capable of stealing mTAN (mobile transaction authentication) codes, which are one-time passwords used to conduct a remote transaction. Users of online banking services get these codes via short messaging service (SMS) as it ensures level protection when conducting transactions online.

Users whose computers are infected with ZeuS Trojan, and at the same time have the ZitMo Trojan on their mobile devices when they synchronize with their PCs, are vulnerable from cybercriminals who can gain access to their bank accounts.

They are also susceptible to interception as cybercriminals can capture the mTAN codes sent by the bank to the user. In such cases, even trying to authenticate the mTAN codes would not prevent victims from having their money stolen from their bank accounts.

Cybercriminals will increasingly supplement spy Trojans operating on users’ computers with mobile modules so they have a better chance of accessing the victim’s bank accounts.

Zakorzhevsky advises mobile users to “be very careful when installing programs on their smartphones.”

Apart from the trends happening on the mobile device front, the latest Kaspersky Lab malware report also revealed new phishing activities wherein frequent flyer miles are being stolen apart from bank account details. Cybercriminals are allegedly using the credits accrued by the victims to buy tickets and also as currency.

For instance, a cybercriminal posted a message on the chat system IRC where he is asking for 60,000 miles accrued from frequent flyer accounts in exchange for a Brazilian botnet application. Another cybercriminal was selling stolen credit card information in exchange for air miles.

Zakorzhevsky said that the use of air miles as currency was predicted by Kaspersky Lab in early 2011 wherein cybercriminals would steal any type of valuable information in exchange for transactions.

Zakorzhevsky showed that the Top 20 malware that are found in users’ computers have remained unchanged, with Kido, FunWeb, Sality, and Starter remaining in the top five. These Trojans and viruses coul remain undetected even by antivirus applications installed for months and could continue infecting other networked machines.

On the other hand, over 50 percent of malicious programs in the Internet are new, which shows that cybercriminals are quick to update their malware to reduce detection. Because of the constant changes that are made on them, these malware are difficult to identify even as new signatures are being added to the database of antivirus applications.

Kaspersky Lab is the world’s largest privately-held Internet Security company, providing comprehensive protection against all forms of IT threats such as viruses, spyware, hackers and spam. The company’s products provide in-depth computer defense for more than 300 million systems around the globe, including home and mobile users, small and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises. Kaspersky technology is also incorporated inside the products and services of nearly 100 industry-leading IT, networking, communications and applications solution vendors. — (FREEMAN)