AhnLab Warns of Rising SpyEye Malicious Code Threat in US

AhnLab, Inc. (www.ahnlab.com),
a leading provider of integrated security solutions, today announced
that its research has identified a significant majority of the domains
and hosts for the SpyEye Banking Trojan are in the US. The malicious
code has gained attention as of late for the threat it poses to online
banking user information.

According to SpyEye-relevant host data extracted by the AhnLab Packet
Center, 48% of all SpyEye domains were found to be located in the US,
followed by Russia at 7%, and the Ukraine at 6%. The AhnLab Packet
Center is the company’s malicious packet analysis system, which assesses
suspicious packet data, including that from SpyEye CC servers. The
findings indicate that the main targets of SpyEye are mainly in the US,
and that North American financial institutions and users should remain
especially vigilant.

Since its toolkit first became public in 2010, the SpyEye Trojan has
produced many variants. According to analysis by the AhnLab Packet
Center, the “10310” variant was identified as the most distributed
version at 34.5%. The “10299” and “10290” variants followed at 14.7% and
14.6%, respectively. Additional variants are expected in the future.

SpyEye, along with ZeuS, are notorious banking Trojans that have helped
thieves steal more than $100 million around the world. Without an
end-user PC solution, banks face great difficulty protecting individual
customers from the sophisticated threats posed by these malicious codes.
AOS ensures comprehensive transaction security with its Anti-keylogger,
Firewall and Anti-virus/spyware agents for individual user PCs, as well
as Secure Browser which creates an independent online space for safe
communication. With AOS’ unique approach to transaction security, banks
are able to deliver complete peace of mind to their online customers.

The four components of the AhnLab Online Security (AOS) solution,
designed to protect the entire transaction process, include:

AOS Secure Browser: Provides a dedicated security browser that creates
an independent and protected environment for online transactions. It
secures user banking data against Man-In-The-Browser (MITB) attacks such
as SpyEye and ZeuS, memory hacking, webpage alteration, HTML injection,
cross-site scripting (XSS), browser help object (BHO) hacking, screen
capturing, debugging, and reverse engineering.

AOS Anti-keylogger: Delivers the protection needed to keep account
information safe and prevent theft of personal banking data during input
via a keyboard.

AOS Firewall: Protects the user by detecting and blocking unauthorized
intrusions and hacking attempts and preventing the leakage of personal
information.

AOS Anti-virus/spyware: Secures online transactions against the latest
malicious codes with AhnLab’s cloud based security technology known as
ASD (AhnLab Smart Defense).

Several of the world’s most famous banks including Citibank Korea,
Banamex, Banco Santander and Cornerstone Community Bank have selected
AhnLab Online Security to keep their online banking environment safe
from sophisticated security threats, today. For more information about
AhnLab’s AOS solution, please visit: http://aos.ahnlab.com

[Appendix]

* Established in 2010, AhnLab Packet Center is AhnLab’s automated packet
data analysis system. With more than 25 million files of malicious
packet, APC predicts threats at the network level through analysis of
the connection among given data. During the early stages of a nationwide
DDoS attack that hit Korea on 4 March 2011, the AhnLab Packet Center
successfully minimized damage by tracing the distribution points of
malicious codes through reverse engineering.

About AhnLab, Inc.

Headquartered in South-Korea, AhnLab Inc. (KRX:053800) develops
industry-leading security solutions and provides professional services
that are designed to secure and protect critical business and personal
information. As a leading innovator in the information security arena
since 1988, AhnLab’s cutting edge products and services have been
fulfilling the stringent security requirements of both enterprises and
individual users. AhnLab’s products and services include anti-virus
solutions, network, mobile and online game security, security management
and consulting services. Today, AhnLab boasts a network of sales and
research operations in more than 20 countries worldwide.

Article source: http://news.yahoo.com/ahnlab-warns-rising-spyeye-malicious-code-threat-us-120000766.html

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