Security news
Security news17 December 2004
Phishing Trojan horse suspects arrested in Germany, Sophos reports
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| The phishing gang targeted online internet bankers. |
Phishing gang is said to have targeted internet bankers with Trojan horses and forged emails
German police have announced that they have arrested 5 men in connection with a combined phishing scam and Trojan horse attack which successfully targeted users of Postbank online accounts. However, a sixth member of the gang - which is headquartered in Bonn - is reported to have absconded.
An estimated 30,000 Euros is said to have been stolen by the gang from Postbank customers.
In mid-2004 Postbank customers were the subject of a number of phishing attacks, which attempted to steal confidential passwords and login information. According to reports, the suspects are also believed to have distributed Trojan horses which lurked in the background of infected PCs and intercepted online banking transactions.
"Most people are familiar now with the phishing scams which arrive via email and lead you to a bogus banking website," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "However, we are increasingly seeing organised criminals writing pharming Trojan horses to monitor the activity of innocent computer users - and wait for them to visit a legitimate banking website before stealing the essential login information. Computer crime authorities around the world need to work closely with each other to break apart these criminal gangs and bring them to justice."In October, police in Brazil announced they had arrested 53 people in connection with Trojan horses which targeted online banks. In May German police arrested Sven Jaschan, the teenager who confessed to writing the hard-hitting Sasser and Netsky worms.
"All computer users should be running an up-to-date anti-virus as well as protecting their PC with a firewall. This, combined with the safe computing practice of exercising caution over what you choose to run on your computer, can dramatically reduce the risks of these kind of attacks," continued Cluley.
Over 12 million people have accounts with Postbank.
