Wednesday, September 13, 2006
The Screen Has Eyes
Have you ever tried ordering things online? How about accessing your bank account? Or paying your bills?
To get some perspective, it is said that about 25 million people have tried selling things online. Now, multiply this figure with potential buyers given the global internet market available today, and sure enough, the numbers are bound to increase exponentially.
For those who have NOT tried it, much of the reason lie in their faith (or lack of it) in the security measures provided for by all these various institutions peddling their wares or offering their services through the internet. How safe are these online transactions? What are the steps that have been undertaken to make them secure?
After this article, you might probably say "who's to blame them?"
A couple of minutes ago, I would have said --- with some degree of confidence --- that a lot has been done to curb potential threats insofar as internet security is concerned. That was before I got to read this.
It's a short article about this trojan (among the most advanced today, apparently) which gets to steal the passwords (or whatever they're called) of people who access their bank accounts online. It does this by actually generating a video clip while a particular person is trying to log in to his/her account, using his/her infected computer. Simply put, whenever that person tries to access his bank account online, the trojan automatically springs into action and creates a video showing what that person is doing exactly (including his typing in of his password/access number) by capturing what is shown in the computer screen.
This video shows how the trojan does this exactly.
Chilling, ain't it?
It's amazing how innovative criminals (online ones, in particular) are able to keep themselves one step ahead of the authorities (cybercops, to some) who are after them, and the security specialists who are specifically hired to keep them at bay.
Perhaps, the only consolation with this most recent development is that, at least, the trojan involved herein is only targeting (at the moment!) Brazilian banks. But the comfort provided by this thought is bound to dissipate very soon, given the tremendous speed technology is able to spread itself across the globe.
So I'm taking back that consoling thought.
Now tell me. Would you now consider ordering things online? How about accessing your bank account? Or paying your bills?
# posted by uberjam @ 2:13 PM 
