9 July, 2016

Banking Trojan, or Banker Trojan, can be defined as a malicious program designed to steal confidential information from online financial accounts. With a large number of people turning to online and mobile banking, the risk for these types of malware attacks has also increased manifold. The Banking Trojans usually come in the form of a legitimate software which, when installed on a computer system, gains inadvertent access to the files and programs. The software has a built-in backdoor that allows hackers to view files or monitor the online activities of the infected computer.

How Does Banking Trojan Work?

After the Banking Trojan infects a computer system, it usually stays dormant until the user performs an online financial transaction. It works covertly to replicate itself on the computer and edit registry entries each time the computer is started. The Trojan also searches the cookie files that had been stored on the computer while browsing financial websites.

Once the user attempts to make an online transaction, the Trojan sneakily steals the login credentials and transmits it to the hacker. Some of the ways in which Banking Trojans attempt to steal a user’s information are:

  • Keylogging
  • Form data captures
  • Inserting fraudulent form fields
  • Screen captures and video recording
  • Mimicking financial websites
  • Redirecting of banking websites
  • Man-in-the-middle attack

Upon acquiring the user’s banking details, the hacker may occasionally transfer relevantly moderate amounts of money to fake bank accounts.

Signs Your Computer Is Infected With Banking Trojan

  • It may change your computer’s security settings
  • Your computer may slow down unexpectedly
  • Unidentified addition or deletion of files stored on your computer
  • Malicious backdoor downloads may take place
  • The Trojan may block or disable other programs in the infected computer
  • You get randomly redirected to different websites
  • The computer may crash or Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) appears regularly

Countermeasures Against Banking Trojans

  • Frequently update your operating system and internet browser
  • Download latest patches and updates of the anti-virus software to protect your system from the recent versions of Banking Trojans
  • If the computer has multiple users, only the administrator should be permitted to download and install any software
  • Use web content filtering to block malicious websites and advertizements
  • Be careful while downloading software and programs, particularly from unreliable sources.
  • Do not store your financial information on computer system. If necessary, keep it in an encrypted format

We, at Centex Technologies, can help you stay protected against Banking Trojans and other online security threats. For more information, feel free to call us at (855) 375 – 9654.