{"id":733,"date":"2023-04-14T07:04:28","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T07:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dataprot.net\/?p=733"},"modified":"2023-07-14T07:50:37","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T07:50:37","slug":"zeus-trojan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dataprot.net\/articles\/zeus-trojan\/","title":{"rendered":"Zeus Trojan: The World\u2019s Most Widespread Malware"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The Zeus trojan is unquestionably the world\u2019s most widespread <\/strong>malware<\/strong><\/a>. Incredibly destructive and able to get even into the computers of government agencies and massive servers, Zeus was behind some of the biggest hacks of this century<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many victims didn\u2019t even realize their PCs were infected before it was too late; that\u2019s how much of a threat this malware is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, we\u2019ll go through the history of the Zeus trojan, explain why it has become so widespread, and explain what makes it so dangerous. Finally, we\u2019ll teach you how to detect if your computer is in danger and what precautions you can take<\/strong> so you don\u2019t fall victim to this malicious software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zeus Trojan, or Zbot as it\u2019s often called, is a malware package that can be used for various malicious purposes, including stealing banking information and installing ransomware<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It first became prominent in 2007 when it was used in an attack on the United States Department of Transportation<\/strong>. Later, Zeus infected millions of computers, creating one of the biggest botnets<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2009, the malware started spreading like wildfire. It was targeting machines running on the Microsoft Windows operating system. At one point, a malware infection was detected in <\/strong>over 74,000 FTP accounts <\/strong><\/a>on some of the world\u2019s most considerable servers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This included corporations like Oracle, Cisco, Amazon, Bank of America, and NASA. During this time, the trojan infected over 3 million Windows computers in the US alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Zeus trojan has also been used in technical support scams across Eastern Europe<\/strong>, where victims were tricked into thinking their computers were infected with a virus. As a result, many people were persuaded to give money to the scammers using it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sole purpose of this malware was to siphon funds out of its victims\u2019 accounts and into the pockets of its creators. It used so-called \u201cmoney mules,\u201d phantom accounts forwarding funds to other accounts, thus obfuscating the money trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, Zeus led to the creation of Gameover ZeuS botnet<\/strong>s, massive networks of infected computers that bad actors could operate remotely through a command and control server. These were then used to launch DDoS attacks, send spam messages, and engage in phishing campaigns to infect even more computers with malicious code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, the group behind the Zbot trojan was arrested in October 2010 by the FBI<\/a>. It comprised 100 people from the US, the UK, and Ukraine. When they were taken down, hackers could have stolen $70 million from their victims<\/strong>. Three years later, the supposed mastermind behind Zeus was arrested in Thailand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, this didn\u2019t stop the spread of the malware, as the original Zeus source code was already publicly available, and new strains would keep popping up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This banking trojan infects a user\u2019s computer and uses that user\u2019s machine as a \u201cbot\u201d or \u201czombie.\u201d This means the attacker can control the user\u2019s machine remotely without the user\u2019s knowledge<\/strong>. Once a machine has been infected and has become a part of the Zeus botnet, the attacker can use it to carry out various malicious tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The original Zeus malware was mainly spread through drive-by downloads and <\/strong>phishing schemes<\/strong><\/a>. In a drive-by download, the user visits a website compromised by the attacker. The attacker then uses exploit code to silently install the Zeus code on the user\u2019s machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phishing attacks consisted of numerous phishing emails where the attacker appeared to be coming from a legitimate website or organization. The emails would include a file that, when opened, would unload the package on the target machine. It usually looks like legitimate software or a document, tricking even computer-savvy people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zeus is designed to steal sensitive information from its victims, specifically financial data. The typical Zero trojan behavior consists of several actions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This all makes Zeus a hazardous piece of malware. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can take several steps to protect yourself from Zeus and similar trojan infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, you should ensure your operating system and Windows antivirus apps are up to date<\/strong> on all your machines. Modern antiviruses have become good at detecting trojan software, and thanks to Zeus\u2019s notoriety, antivirus software developers made sure that this particular trojan never gets through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It would be best if you also practiced safe browsing. That means ignoring or blocking online ads and avoiding downloads from suspicious websites. Learn to recognize phishing attempts<\/strong>, as that\u2019s how trojans and ransomware usually spread. Double-check the sender address, and don\u2019t install unknown apps on your computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remove stored passwords from your browser to protect yourself against the Zeus trojan. It\u2019s better to use a password manager instead and avoid reusing your passwords across multiple websites. This is a good cybersecurity practice in general, but especially important for preventing ID theft via trojans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of password security, using a <\/strong>two-factor authentication (2FA)<\/strong><\/a> tool is a must<\/strong>. This way, even if bad actors somehow get ahold of your login information, they still can\u2019t access your account, as you\u2019ll need to verify each login attempt manually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a big difference between an actual Zeus attack and the Zeus.2022 pop-up message that claims your computer is infected. The latter is a known scam via adware<\/a> to make you click on the banner. By thinking you\u2019re getting rid of the virus, you\u2019ll infect your computer with more malware instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But if you do detect the Zeus trojan on your computer, don\u2019t fret. Every virus infection, even such a drastic one, can be mitigated. Here are the steps you need to take to get rid of it:<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is the Zeus Trojan?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Inner Workings of the Zeus Virus<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Zeus Trojan: Protection and Precautions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Detecting and Removing the Zeus Trojan From Your Computer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n