Security firms have found that many commercial and government systems have been compromised, including 68,000 corporate login credentials and access to email systems, online banking sites, Yahoo, Hotmail and Facebook.
(Reuters) - A new type of computer virus is known to have breached almost 75,000 computers in 2,500 organizations around the world, including user accounts of popular social network websites, according Internet security firm NetWitness.
The latest virus -- known as "Kneber botnet" -- gathers login credentials to online financial systems, social networking sites and email systems from infested computers and reports the information back to hackers, NetWitness said in a statement.
A botnet is an army of infected computers that hackers can control from a central machine."
The company said the attack was first discovered in January during a routine deployment of NetWitness software.
Further investigation by the Herndon, Virginia-based software security firm revealed that many commercial and government systems were compromised, including 68,000 corporate login credentials and access to email systems, online banking sites, Yahoo, Hotmail and social networks such as Facebook.
"Conventional malware protection and signature-based intrusion detection systems are, by definition, inadequate for addressing Kneber or most other advanced threats," Chief Executive Amit Yoran said in a statement.
(Reporting by Sakthi Prasad in Bangalore; Editing by Eric Auchard in London)
about 7 hours agoAssessing the Impact of HP Layoffs - HP needs channel partners to help put some distance between it all the drama ... http://t.co/2H0Gq8HJ
about 8 hours agoThin Client Opportunity Gets Richer for the Channel - IT organizations are rethinking client strategy in the age of ... http://t.co/JxUbh24m
May 23rd 4:38 PMPutting a Channel Face on the Cloud - Amazon, Google and others may leverage the channel to compete more aggressivel... http://t.co/RUeo9iT5
May 22nd 10:41 PMExpanding the Reach and Scope of Desktop Virtualization - VMware moves to acquire Wanova - VMware has set out to ... http://t.co/Ad020fhT
May 22nd 8:58 PMConsidering the IBM Watson Possibilities - IBM looks to the channel to help find new use cases for cognitive computi... http://t.co/CAljVbac
May 22nd 8:54 AMVariations on a Cloud Storage Theme in the Channel - EMC expands focus on the cloud via a channel that is wrestling ... http://t.co/MORSpkkb
May 21st 10:43 AMRightsizing the Cloud Service Provider - Cloudbursting will alter the way the channel thinks about cloud computing i... http://t.co/eZ33qdKE
May 17th 6:39 PMThe Future of IT Services - Automated managed services are transforming the way IT services are delivered - Histo... http://t.co/w4zvAS8u
May 17th 12:39 PMRising to the Cloud Application Management Challenge - BetterCloud previews management tool for Google Apps environm... http://t.co/KzhO7FlP
May 16th 11:00 AMPlaying the IT Services Name Game - HP expands ability of partners to deliver branded services as part of effort to ... http://t.co/XU3QOnKz
Start the New Year with business intelligence—it’s a smart move
Join us on February 1 for an encore rebroadcast at either 5 am or 12 noon EST and discover how business intelligence (BI) supports companies in uncertain business and economic climates. Get expert advice on how to create a strategy that fits your organization's needs and budget and see how quickly it can pay for itself. Click Here
