Malware is a mechanism by which third parties can gain access to your computer or steal personal details and information, including passwords, through unlawful access to your information.
The TrendLabs researchers have highlighted several means through which users can become infected by these malware including USB drives, social media posts, instant messaging apps, malicious links and spam. They can also be downloaded by other malware already residing in an infected computer.
Malware like Swisyn steals a user's keystrokes and passwords, launches denial-of-service attacks, and downloads and runs malware. In addition to this attackers also configure this malware to spread via USB drives. Cybercriminals can utilise Dorkbot to snatch user login credentials - like Internet banking passwords - and execute commands as well as download other malware.
The malware family Zeus/Zbot is widely known for data theft. Variants of Zeus/Zbot can monitor a user's browser activities, including online banking transactions and some can even disable online banking security software.
"There are steps that users can take to protect themselves from these malware. For one, check if the connection is secure and if the banking page is legitimate before doing any transaction by examining the URL and the site's security certificates," says Gregory Anderson, country manager at Trend Micro South Africa.
"Secondly users should also be careful when opening emails that contain attachments and URLs in the email body. If the sender is not familiar, it would be best to verify their identity before opening emails or delete them without opening them - no matter how many millions the email is offering you or how legitimate the banking logos look. When using USB drives please make sure that the 'autoplay' option is disabled whenever handling removable drives, and scan the drive before opening any files."
Another important factor is the security software that users have on their devices. According to the Trend Labs researchers it is best to install a security solution that is not only able to protect your machine against malware, but go a step further and check the reputations of websites and emails. It is vital that users keep their computers updated with the latest software and security patches.
"Money is money and if a cybercriminal can sniff out an easy paycheck they will grab it. What this highlights is that South African's are as much a target as anyone, cybercriminals operate from anywhere and target whoever they please, but easy targets are the most appealing which is why South Africans need to take steps to protect themselves," says Anderson.
