Banker trojans threaten Christmas shoppers

Banker Trojans are one of the main threats online shoppers will face this Christmas. These malicious codes are designed to steal passwords for accessing online banking services, payment platforms like PayPal, etc. Banker Trojans accounted for 18.59% of malware infections in 2007 and 24.10% of the infections caused by Trojans.

This type of malware works in various ways, from capturing keystrokes to redirecting users to spoofed banking sites in order to get their money. Online shoppers must make sure their computers are free from malicious code before carrying out online transactions.

Another threat consumers must face during the holiday season is phishing: emails that simulate to come from a banking entity or an online purchase service, but are actually false. Usually, users are asked to click a link and enter their banking details. However, if they do this, they will be giving their data to cyber-crooks.

Online shoppers must be cautious as, according to estimates, the average amount of money stolen from victims through phishing and Trojans in 2006 was €6,383 1. Besides online transactions, the time spent by users playing online games like World of Worldcraft (WoW) or Lineage also increases in Christmas. . Cyber-crooks know this and have actually started to launch attacks to get passwords for video games.