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Online-banking customers in Syria have been warned to be extra vigilant when conducting their financial matters on the web to avoid falling prey to the Zeus Trojan malware, according to Day Press News.
Cyber criminals using the Zeus Trojan have been able to siphon millions of dollars from bank accounts worldwide by stealing online banking credentials. More than 40,000 variants of the malware have been recorded. In February 2010, NetWitness reported the detection of ZeuS-infected computers in 2,500 organizations in 196 countries.
The issue was raised at Syria's 6th ICT Security Forum last month, with Tarek Kuzbari, managing director of Kaspersky Lab ME, claiming the software was an emerging threat in the Syrian banking sector.
“This can prove very dangerous for unsuspected and unprotected Internet browsers as their online banking details and other vital information stored online can be compromised and used against them and at their expense by unscrupulous cyber criminals,” he said, according to Day Press News.
The malware is a setback to the newly introduced e-banking services, which have yet to gain the trust of Syrian customers.
According to Kaspersky, an up-to-date operating system, combined with an anti-virus and anti-spyware solutions, firewall and vulnerability scanner, are vital in lowering the risks of cyber crime.
“Additionally, online banking users are advised to regularly check their bank account and notify the bank immediately in case of discrepancies,” Kuzbari said. “If money is stolen, the bank should be able to block the transfer and to return it to the rightful owner.”
