By Bill Magee

UK BANKS and other financial institutions are being warned to be extra vigilant following the release on the internet of a new so-called "PC super bug" designed to steal online banking log-on details on an unprecedented scale.

Cyber criminals have let loose a virus called Limbo 2 Trojan, which, according to security experts, is an extremely nasty bug developed specifically to worm its way into finance websites in order to cause maximum damage.

Posted by Greg Hewitt-Long in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 07:57

Phorm factor

OUR FAVOURITE POLITICIAN Viviane Reding is making herself unpopular in the hallowed halls of Westminster once again.

The tech crusader who famously forced greedy mobile telcos to cut extortionate data roaming charges, has given the UK Government until next month to fess up about the use of Phorm, a sneaky bit of spyware which tracks internet usage under the guise of an advertising targeting system.

Posted by Greg Hewitt-Long in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 07:50

Attacks exploit news, target organisations

Malware purveyors are embracing the upcoming Olympic Games wholeheartedly.

Recent outbreaks of attacks are attempting to lure in victims with promise of news and information on the Beijing Games and researchers only see the trend increasing over the coming weeks.

One of the most recent attacks is specifically targeting national sporting organisations and athlete representative groups.

Posted by Greg Hewitt-Long in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 22:59

He goes by the nickname A-Z and is one of Russia's bright young tech stars. He's a crack programmer, successful entrepreneur and creator of sophisticated software tools that help his customers make millions.

Trouble is, A-Z's masterstroke is a computer program called ZeuS that helps cybergangs steal people's identity data and pull off Web scams on a vast scale. Last fall, German criminals used ZeuS to pull off an Ocean's Eleven-like caper, hijacking $6 million from banks in the United States, United Kingdom, Spain and Italy, says SecureWorks, an Atlanta-based company that monitors Internet crime and supplies security systems for 2,100 companies and government agencies.

Posted by Greg Hewitt-Long in Adware, Spyware and Trojans at 09:54