New Sphinx Malware Stealing Online Banking Credentials

Customers of UK and U.S. banks and credit unions should be extra careful when going to their financial institutions’ web pages. A new version of malware called Zeus Sphinx is being seen active in the wild out to steal login credentials from those doing online banking.

This variant of Zeus will seamlessly redirect users to a phishing page. The URL will change, but it does it so quickly and subtly that users tend not to notice. So make sure to check the URLs periodically when doing financial business.

Be aware of phishing pages as well. These types of attacks will often redirect users to a fake, but very similar looking page asking for login credentials. So, always make sure you are logging into your accounts using a previously bookmarked and trusted address.  If the site looks different to you in any way, take a closer look and be 100% confident that it is where you want to be before entering username and login details.

If in doubt, don’t continue. Contact your financial institution and let them know of your concerns. When you work in partnership this way with them, everyone benefits.

Sphinx has been seen in the wild targeting financial institutions. However, it's commercial malware sold to anyone and everyone who is willing to pay for it. Therefore, its targets are not limited to financial institutions. It is also known to target online payment systems as well.  Statistics gathered so far see it active in the UK 57% of the time, the U.S. 38% and in Poland 5%.

The US has been a target for a very long time as consumers tend to be early adopters of online activities. However, the U.K. is becoming a more popular target for such cybercrime. This is believed to be because its economy is prosperous and the residents are quick to adopt internet-based services for financial transactions. However, according to IBM Trusteer, it is seeing more activity than normal going for consumer, wealth management, and consumer accounts.

Just because these types of things happen, users should not be scared away from using online tools for doing financial business. It is just important to know the risks, how to identify phishing and other types of potential cybercrimes, and take measures to protect your information. By reading this, you have made a good start.