According to Quartz security firm RSA says that its threat
analysts have picked up “underground chatter” indicating that a sophisticated
gang of Russian cyber criminals is laying plans to launch an offensive against
30 US banks. Says RSA: “If the gang’s plans do materialize, this campaign could
be the largest coordinated attack on American financial institutions to date.”
Here’s the breakdown:
1. This gang has done it before. The group claims to have
stolen $5 million from American bank accounts since 2008. Their methods are
complicated, but the results straightforward: once they have access to a bank
account, they siphon off money through wire transfers to overseas accounts.
Over the past few years, millions of dollars have been stolen this way, mostly
from small businesses, school districts and local governments.
2. American banks are particularly vulnerable targets. Most
American banks require nothing more than a password to access an account. In
Europe, by contrast, almost all banks use a much more secure, “two factor
authentication” process.
3. The gang has a massive network of infected “zombie” PCs
at the ready. These days, it’s not
enough to launch cyber attacks from whatever computers happen to belong to you.
Gangs use “botnets” to accomplish their nefarious deed, whether they are
shutting down websites or sending email spam. Botnets consist of up to hundreds
of thousands of internet-connected PCs that have been infected with programs
allowing complete control over the compromised devices….
Read all about it at http://qz.com/12747/russian-cyber-criminals-said-to-be-organizing-a-mega-heist-of-us-banks/
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