Cybercriminals steal $1bn from banks

During a joint investigation, Russian internet security firm, Kaspersky Lab, Europol and Interpol have uncovered an unprecedented cyber-crime operation in which attackers stole one billion US dollars from around 100 financial institutions worldwide.

Experts believe that a group of cybercriminals from Russia, Ukraine and some other European countries, as well as China, are behind the attack. Unlike many other incidents, this robbery marks a new stage – now, cybercriminals can steal money directly from banks, rather than their customers.

The attackers began by using phishing techniques to enter the computer of one orgnaisation. After infecting machines with malware they then gained access to the internal network of the bank, including monetary transactions. They also deployed video surveillance from screens, getting to know every detail of the staff of the bank. From there they mimicked the usual actions to transfer money to fraudulent accounts.

Sergey Golovanov, a leading anti-virus expert at Kaspersky Lab, comments: “They just got into the corporate network and learnt how to disguise fraudulent actions as legitimate. It’s really a professional robbery.”

Kaspersky Lab recommends that all financial institutions carefully scan their networks for malware.