By now, you know how to spot spoofing emails that are used by hackers to spread malware. You also would not click on links embedded in suspicious emails even if they came from one of your closest friends and you have the ability to identify fake senders when you see one, right. You are not alone, millions of other U.S citizens to are aware of the various techniques used by hackers to infect computers with viruses through the internet.
As a result, cybercriminals came up with a new malicious program that caught millions of U.S citizens off guard. This time, they did not send fraud emails to the targets. One lazy afternoon, you receive a Facebook message from one of your friend who is keen on taking advantage of special deals offered by stores. Well, the price was too good to be true based on the quality of the product and its current market price, but since your friend took advantage of the offer and managed to buy the product at a discounted price, you went ahead and purchased the product.
Trouble kicks in when you discover that your bank account is empty after making the purchase. You are one of the people who did fall prey to the new sophisticated computer virus famously known as Zeus.
Zeus is a malicious Trojan horse that has so far managed to infect hundreds if not thousands of computers not only here in the United States but also in other parts of the world. Since its inception seven years ago, it has managed to defraud not only individual internet users but also reputable organizations and businesses such as Cisco, ABC, and NASA.
A few years decades ago, all a virus was capable of doing once installed on the hard drive is delete or tamper with stored files. Zeus has gone a notch higher by discreetly siphoning money from the victim’s bank account to foreign accounts.
Picture this; you login to your online bank website to settle some bills as you often do on a weekly or monthly basis. However, for some reason, the bank’s security system fails to recognize your computer and directs you to a new web page that is similar to the bank’s website. You are asked a few security questions to confirm your identity before being allowed to access your account and pay the bills. Finally, you manage to login successfully, pay the bills, and log off. Unknown to you, the money is transferred to an overseas bank account that is not controlled by the local law enforcement.
In the current modern world, it is paramount to put in place security measures to protect yourself from viruses and other cyber crimes. The conventional antivirus programs can only deal with downloaded malware and do not protect users when surfing the internet. Based on this fact, it is recommended to purchase a security product that protects you from both online and offline threats.
