News
Malware Steals $4M from US and Canadian Banks, Now Targets Europe
April 2016 by Eldon Sprickerhoff, eSentire, & Dodi Glenn, PC Pitstop
A new malware called GozNym is now targeting European banks, specifically Polish banks, after successfully stealing $4 million from U.S. and Canadian financial institutions. A hybrid malware, GozNym combines the stealthy characteristics of Nymaim, and the banking Trojan capabilities of Gozi ISFB. Supposedly, over 15 Polish banks have already been targeted.
Eldon Sprickerhoff, chief security strategist at eSentire says, “This should be viewed as a natural progression in the evolution of malware: take the strongest pieces of ancestry and build an even stronger child. We should start to see ransomware authors taking this hybrid form of malware and folding it into their offering.”
Dodi Glenn, VP of cyber security at PC Pitstop says, “GozNym’s makers are also strengthening their unidentifiable capabilities by creating false banking websites that are identical to the PC user’s banking website. By doing so, they are able to obtain the user ID and password for the real banking site. The hackers are also creating these false domains on various servers, making the tracking abilities even more difficult. In order to prevent yourself from becoming infected, it is imperative to use real-time malware protection, as well as keep all of your applications up to date. It is also encouraged to uninstall whatever programs you are not actively using.”
