| By cyberfreak,
on 25-06-2007 07:06
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Published in : The News, Latest News |
- 'Italian Job' is next stage in cyber identity crime
- Viruses planted on charity and tourism pages
Hackers have launched an assault on websites in Italy and around the world dubbed the Italian Job in a move seen by internet security experts as the next step in the escalating problem of cyber crime.
Gangs presumed to be based in eastern Europe have probably infected more than 10,000 web pages on popular websites including travel agents, hotels, charities and government departments. Most of the sites are in Italy, though the attack has also spread to Spain and the US.
Using an attack tool kit available for £350 on the internet from Russia, the attackers implanted codes that download a "keylogger" onto the computer of anyone opening up those sites. The keylogger allows the hackers to monitor any activity on the infected machine - in effect to control the computer. That gives them access to any bank details, credit card information or passwords that are entered.
It is not known how many computers have been infected by the attacks, which are believed to have begun in the middle of last week. Security experts put the numbers at tens of thousands.
Dan Hubbard of the Californian internet security firm Websense, said Italy may have been targeted because of the seasonal popularity of its travel websites or because the hackers had discovered a way to penetrate an Italian bank's firewalls to steal identities. "We often call this sort of thing the perfect crime because it is so difficult to track down the perpetrators."
Read complete news on money.guardian.co.uk
Last update : 02-10-2007 18:07
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