F-Secure Offers Information, Advice Regarding "GameOver Zeus"
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice and the FBI announced a multinational effort to disrupt “GameOver Zeus,” malware that targets banking and other information from the computers it infects. Infected computers become part of a botnet that work for cybercriminals to continue to look for and exploit more systems and information.
F-Secure provides a detailed explanation of the malware, and in the company’s latest Threat Report (p. 5), draws attention to the sharp rise of ransomware. Sean Sullivan, security advisor at F-Secure Labs, asks if disrupting the GameOver Zeus network was actually more dangerous than completely taking it down — because the next version may carry a command to destroy everything on an infected machine as a defense tactic.
Sullivan answers Business Solutions’ questions about how to help your clients stay safe.
Q: How does an unsuspecting employee actually start the process of infecting a business’s system with GameOver Zeus?
Sullivan: Because the virus is typically hidden in a zip file attached to extremely convincing spam emails, an employee could easily deploy this malware across the company, via a seemingly secure email exchange. This is what is commonly known as a “phishing” attack. Similarly, a spear-phishing scam is where an attacker gathers personal information about the employee to send a more personalized email to be more convincing. So, do not to click links in an email and don’t open zip files — GameOver Zeus was using zip files at one point.
Q: What security measures do businesses most often overlook that could create a vulnerability to malware?
Sullivan: 1) Backing up data routinely, backing it up off the network, and testing backups, and 2) keeping operating systems updated to ensure protection against known vulnerabilities.
Q: What is the best way for an MSP to help protect a client’s system from malware?
Sullivan: There aren’t any one-size-fits-all security solutions. An MSP can work with a client to better understand the specific needs of the business, to make sure it not only has the correct security tools in place, but also that software and hardware are taken care of. This means the system is automatically updated, no additional configuration or management of the solution, and no additional hardware purchases. This reduces costs and enables the client to focus on its customers instead of security.
To help visualize the malware, F-Secure created this video (http://youtu.be/JhiPDbTIsqw) that helps educate consumers on the history of GameOver Zeus and also direct them to the free website that quickly scans for GoZ.