Middle East Online Banking Users: Easy Targets for Cybercriminals

Security researchers at the security firm Kaspersky have recently highlighted that, banks in the Middle East are highly at risk from more complex online banking attacks because the region's economy is a lucrative target for cybercrooks.

The region has been lately attacked by Zeus Trojan horse malware and malware that infects system by requesting users to click on hyperlinks sent through e-mails, social media, or online promotions. This malware further steals login credentials and keystrokes of netizens.

According to security experts, easy availability, simple configuration, and inexpensive nature make Zeus a favorite choice of the cybercriminals.

Commenting on the matter, David Emm, Senior Regional Researcher at Kaspersky Lab stated that, online crime is a flourishing business and there is nothing surprising in it, as reported by The National during the 1st week of December 2010.

Kaspersky Lab stated that during its checking of cybercrimes in 2010, it found Egypt and Saudi Arabia as among the leading three nations experiencing Zeus attacks.

Disturbingly, nearly 40,000 different variants of Zeus Trojan were recorded. During February 2010, NetWitness, a USA based corporate security organization found that around 2,500 companies across 196 nations had PCs that were infected by the Zeus Trojan.

As per the security experts at Kaspersky, users should be very careful while surfing the web to enjoy a safe internet experience, when infected with Zeus Trojan.

Security experts further highlighted that people are required to deploy improved online banking security practices. Users who avail the online banking services should always keep their login credentials private. An up to date operating system, along with a complete security program are necessary to combat targeted malware attacks.

The main problem in the Middle East region is the low consumer awareness regarding the risks related to online security and cybercrooks are fully exploiting this weak point of Middle East netizens. The researchers further stated that, the governments across the region should also improve their online crime prevention measures by following best and safe internet practices, which have proven to offer sufficient defense mechanisms against online attacks.

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» SPAMfighter News - 12/23/2010