Clampi strikes again: $350k stolen from Chicago-area school district
Monday, September 28, 2009
The Clampi virus, a sophisticated piece of malware that targets sensitive financial data, is thought to be responsible for the loss of $350,000 from the accounts of Crystal Lake elementary school district 47.
This apparent attack, the latest in a series of incidents targeting public school bank accounts, was perpetrated sometime before June 29th, when a district employee noticed the losses. The FBI has since confirmed that Crystal Lake district 47 is one of three Chicago-area school districts targeted, along with Sycamore district 427 and one district that was not identified.
The FBI has further confirmed that the three incidents are now part of a nation-wide investigation into Clampi, which is believed to be responsible for the theft of millions of dollars from banks and mid-sized businesses. Clampi's recent shift toward the targeting of school accounts is the latest in a long string of cyber crimes.
The Clampi virus is unusual among computer Trojans in that it can propagate itself across local networks automatically. It also uses several advanced techniques to conceal itself from anti-virus scanners and removal programs.
Related News:
Network security update not responsible for crashes - 2.24.2010
Reports of the so-called "blue screen of death" following the installation of the latest Microsoft security update are the result of malware, not a defect in the update.
Botnets and Chuck Norris take aim at network security - 2.22.2010
Last week, word spread of the Kneber botnet compromising more than 2,000 computers worldwide. With the start of a new week comes more malware attacks plaguing the web community. The so-called "Chuck Norris" botnet is attacking routers and DSL modems by guessing commonly used passwords.
Web security company warns of scareware's risk - 2.19.2010
The rise in scareware attacks and cyber criminal behavior in general forced DynaSis, an IT services company, to issue a warning to its users about the threat of fake anti-virus software infecting their computers on Friday.
Age-old trick with brand-new target - 1.18.2010
Cyber criminals have turned to a scam from the early days of the internet to target the growing smartphone market: Trojan phone dialers.
Report: 'At least 34' firms attacked at the same time as Google - 1.15.2010
The Washington Post asserts that many U.S. companies were targeted in the same network security and email breach that affected Google and provoked the company's highly publicized spat with the Chinese government.
|
