Over the last year we have dealt with an increase in cases whereby our customers’ or those of our customers’, PC’s have been infected with key-loggers. Key-loggers will steal all information entered into a computer and then the cybercriminals will filter out the most valuable data: most commonly online banking credentials. PC’s can become infected with key-loggers by visiting unsafe websites, falling for phishing scams or by opening emails from unknown sources.
Key-logging is one of the most prominent methods of retrieving customer information electronically. Trojans, such as Zeus, are used to extract customer details and then allow the information to be sold on the black market globally. These Trojans can reside on a computer without being recognised by antivirus software and can therefore operate undetected for long periods of time.
While key-loggers are more often than not hidden in malware, in November 2011 a new worm that infected victims’ PC’s with a key-logging ‘Zeus bot’ was detected. This was being spread through the popular social networking site Facebook: the worm used stolen Facebook account details to log into compromised accounts and then sent malicious links to the victims’ friends. If this link was followed, the worm infected the user’s PC with the banking Trojan ‘Zeus Bot’. If the user then accessed their online banking account, the Trojan would copy and steal all the credentials.
With the proliferation of key-logging Trojans and bots worldwide, the need to think differently about how to protect the identity of your customers’ and the reputation of your organisation is essential. At present, the Zeus Trojan has cost the UK over £200m and in the U.S £56.2bn can be attributed to online identity theft cases, of which key-logging can be directly linked to obtaining some of the data.
Using an acclaimed software solution we are able to prevent users’ keystrokes, screen captures and mouse clicks from being recognised by any Trojan or key-logger that may have infected the host computer. With its features, such as a toolbar installed directly to the browser, users will know clearly that it is working: each field that requires interaction or text is highlighted green if safe and red if not safe. This simple solution will save a customer’s identity, save financial institutions bottom line funds and protect business reputations.
Click here to register for an online live demonstration of how our Key Logging Protection works to keep all your confidential data secure.
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