Hey everyone,

 

I'm sure a vast majority of you have already heard about the new breed of malware that has recently hit media. This 'new breed' is particularly nasty, and having been exposed to it personally is not something you would want to experience. 

 

A quick overview:

 

Cryptolocker (Defined by Wikipedia)

'CryptoLocker is ransomware, a type of computer software malware, first spotted in September 2013. It targets computers running a Microsoft Windows operating system, and effects deleterious changes which can only be reversed upon making a payment.'

 

Gameover Zeus

Zeus, ZeuS, or Zbot is Trojan horse computer malware that runs on computers running under versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system. While it is capable of being used to carry out many malicious and criminal tasks, it is often used to steal banking information by man-in-the-browser keystroke logging and form grabbing. It is also used to install the CryptoLocker ransomware.

 

These are two of the most end-game malware that are currently out there due to the amount of information they store once a computer has been infected.

 

For the last week or so I've pressed for my friends and colleagues - and for that matter my unit - to take active steps against these systems by at least installing the latest anti-virus updates. I would advise all of you to do the same, as well as take extra care over the next few months- these crooks can be very convincing.

 

Take time to read up on these malware and get to know a bit about them.

Thanks for warning us bud! Appreciate it!

I had the "FBI" Malware, it locks your computer down until you pay the "FBI" with some thing, luckily it was on my user that I just created and I barley had anything on, I just had to log into a new user and I could access it again, it said that I had 72 hours to pay or the FBI would raid my house for viewing child pornography and pirating and some other stuff, I didn't do that stuff though lol. I still have it installed on my computer, I am to lazy to remove it.

 

Thanks for the info OP

I heard about these in september when they were first discovered. Nasty little buggers.

 

My advice to all those who are worried by this, is to stay vigilant. The majority of viruses infect your computer through your own stupidity. Take your time to read what you are downloading, ensure you know what is going on your computer. If you are suspicious at all about a website, get off it. The emails you get, if they give you links, mouseover it and see where it really links to, don't click it. View the email source and see where the email really came from. Again, if you are not sure, if it doesn't seem right. Get rid of it.

 

If you are the type of person to download something and then spam the "next" button on the installer, you will probably end up missing things like "Install this third party software as well?" Read, be aware.

 

And as has been said by the OP. Ensure you've got the latest anti-virus and anti-malware software. Ensure they are as up to date as they can be.

 

Just to add a little, if you are in danger, you should be contacted by you ISP through mail or Email to say what to do and that obviously to warn you are affected by Gameover Zeus.

Once got the police thingy (think it said it was both Dutch police and copyright agency thingy). Dropped it off at my local computer store and the guy there removed it. Whoever made the Dutch version of the virus made some spelling mistakes so it wasn't that hard to figure out it was fake.

If you are the type of person to download something and then spam the "next" button on the installer, you will probably end up missing things like "Install this third party software as well?" Read, be aware.

Java wonders why I never update it.

Either way, if it happens I can (fairly easily) jump over to the other OS I have on this computer and figure out what to do from there. If nothing else, brick the OS and start anew.

Edited June 5, 201411 yr by EvilJackCarver

That RCMP/ Interpol Virus is a pain in the dick to remove, but best thing to do in that scenario if you have another computer, google what it is, I did that with the RCMP virus

Cryptolocker is such a great idea. I'm shocked this wasn't done ages ago to be honest, the technology was always there.

 

I personally don't run anti-virus software, because I simply don't execute material that I don't know where it came from. If I have to, I'll run it in a sandbox.

Thanks for the warning, Stripe!