RSA Security is to launch a
new service to help financial institutions eliminate websites
associated with malicious Trojan horse software.
The service, planned to complement an anti-phishing service
already offered by RSA, focuses on getting to the basics of how
Trojans work, and will use services offered by other security
partners, such as antivirus specialists and internet service
providers.
Typical users of the service are likely to be financial services
companies, auction sites and online merchants, because criminals
are now turning to the use of malicious Trojans incorporating
keyloggers and spyware as an alternative to phishing to sniff out
victims’ financial information and then raid their bank
accounts.
RSA plans to work with the antivirus suppliers and ISPs to
identify and block dangerous Trojans and then shut down the
websites associated with them. RSA said that as part of a beta
testing service it has been operating, 170 Trojan-related sites
have already been closed down.
RSA’s eFraudNetwork has certainly been successful in
enabling banks to share security information to prevent phishing
attacks, though whether an anti-Trojan service will work in
practice has yet to be proven. There is clearly a need for it, but
detection will mean that the good guys have to start catching up
with the bad ones – and the bad guys are always a couple of steps
ahead.
Symantec: Security attackers thrive on zero-day flaws
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