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Latest News
'Trojan' computer virus arrests
Officers from the Metropolitan Police's Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) have made Europe's first arrests in the battle against an online 'Trojan' virus which threatened to compromise thousands of UK computers.
The ZeuS or Zbot Trojan - a type of sophisticated malicious computer program, or malware - is believed to have infected and subsequently accessed personal information from tens of thousands of computers around the world.
The malware enabled the distributors to harvest millions of lines of data from affected machines - hundreds of thousands per day - and given the amount of information stolen, the potential financial gains to the culprits and losses to individuals and institutions are very substantial.
It is believed the Trojan was configured in such a way that once installed in the systems of the infected computers, it recorded users' online bank account details and passwords, credit card numbers and other personal information, including passwords for social networking sites, before causing the computer to forward the data to servers under the control of the distributors.
On 3 November 2009 officers from the PCeU, assisted by Greater Manchester Police, arrested a man and woman, both aged 20 years, in Manchester for offences under the 1990 Computer Misuse Act and the 2006 Fraud Act. ZeuS poses a sizeable threat to the safe use of the Internet and is being used increasingly by cyber-criminals worldwide - not simply those involved in this case. The arrests in connection with the malware represent some of the first in the world, and the first in Europe to combat the distribution and control of ZeuS.
Both suspects were interviewed by PCeU detectives and have been bailed for further in-depth enquiries to be completed.
Detective Inspector Colin Wetherill of the PCeU said: "The ZeuS Trojan is a piece of malware used increasingly by criminals to obtain huge quantities of sensitive information from thousands of compromised computers around the world. The arrests represent a considerable breakthrough in our increasing efforts to combat online criminality."
There are several steps that individuals and institutions can take in order to minimise the likelihood of their computer becoming infected with malware. * Run anti-virus and anti-spyware software - Always run these softwares and keep them regularly updated. * Windows update - Enable automatic updates to keep the operating system patched against known vulnerabilities. * Patch software applications - In addition to the operating system, it is essential to keep software installed in your system patched against known vulnerabilities. Security patches are usually free and can be downloaded from the software vendors. * Use a personal firewall - A full firewall can protect your computer from unauthorised access when configured correctly. * Follow good security practices - There is no substitute for common sense when you are on the Web: 1. Disconnect your computer from the Internet when you are not using it. 2. Exercise caution when opening attachments or following links in emails and on websites. 3. Do research before downloading new, unknown software, especially if it is a security or registry-related software. Make sure your password is robust, incorporating numbers and letters, and never reveal your passwords over the phone or via email
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