Gameover Zeus

Gameover Zeus is one of the most recent variants of the Keylogger Zeus, a multi-purpose spyware program that also enables criminals to exploit infected PCs as parts of a network of linked computers or 'botnet.' Because UK authorities have taken steps to disable Gameover Zeus's remote servers, now is perhaps the best time to try to remove Gameover Zeus from an infected machine – before its owners may reassert authority over the botnet networks. Gameover Zeus and other versions of Zeus Trojans are known specifically to target and collect banking information, and malware experts classify them as high-level threats; you should undertake their removal promptly and with proper anti-malware protocols.

The Trojan that Spells 'Game Over' for Your Savings

The Trojan named after the head of the Greek pantheon has been a concern for malware experts since 2007, when the PC security industry first saw the earliest version of this banking Trojan. Gameover Zeus is a label for modern variants of Zeus that include botnet capabilities, or the ability to 'recruit' an infected computer into an illegal network. Criminals may use this connection to issue commands to your computer, such as coordinating click fraud, redirecting your browser, changing settings or deleting files. In many circumstances, a PC's involvement in a Gameover Zeus botnet is non-obvious and has no symptoms.

Despite the broad applicability of these features, malware researchers are forced to emphasize other attacks from Gameover Zeus: specifically, ones that target your bank account. By monitoring your Web-surfing activity, Gameover Zeus automatically attempts to grab passwords, user names, the answers to security questions and other data that could be used to hijack your bank account. Gameover Zeus also may modify a Web page to include additional requests for data, the answers to which are transferred to its criminal administrator.

Forcing the Trojan God of the Sky Back Down to Earth

Gameover Zeus has been an ongoing concern for quite a while, but Gameover Zeus has taken over recent headlines primarily due to the intervention of international legal authorities. A wide-scale seizure of botnet administrative PCs has deprived Gameover Zeus of its (Russia-based) criminal controllers, preventing Gameover Zeus from receiving any commands for new attacks. Current estimates are that roughly three hundred thousand infected PCs are granted a reprieve – but only temporarily. Within weeks, criminals are expected to regain control of the botnet, allowing Gameover Zeus to resume its bank account-hijacking campaign.

Gameover Zeus particularly is prevalent throughout the first world, including such nations as France, Britain and especially the United States. Without symptoms to give itself away, PC users are recommended to use dedicated anti-malware utilities against Gameover Zeus. It goes without saying that removing Gameover Zeus while its botnet is inactive is simpler than removing Gameover Zeus when Gameover Zeus is under active, criminal management. However, passwords and other data should be changed to prevent any possibility of new bank account attacks using old information.