How to Prevent Identity Theft – Beware of Cunning Perpetrator, Zeus

If you want to know how to prevent identity theft, then it would help to know a little bit about what malicious malware is out there so that you’re aware of some facts about identity theft. In this article, we will take a look at Trojan horse malware package ZeuS (otherwise known as Zbot) that runs on versions of Microsoft Windows. Capable of carrying out many malicious and criminal tasks, it is often used to steal banking information by man-in-the-browser keystroke logging and form grabbing. Also used to install CryptoLocker ransomware, Zeus is spread mainly through drive-by downloads and phishing schemes. The virus was first identified in July 2007 when it was used to steal information from the United States Department of Transportation, and it became more widespread in March 2009. A security company called Prevx discovered in June 2009, that Zeus had compromised over 74,000 FTP accounts on websites ranging from Bank of America, NASA, Monster.com, ABC, Oracle, Play.com, Cisco, Amazon, and BusinessWeek.

As the Zeus malware hides itself using stealth techniques, the more difficult it is to detect. Even with up-to-date antivirus and other security software.  You’re going to be surprised to find that, it is considered the primary reason why the Zeus malware has become the largest botnet on the Internet, with an estimated 3.6 million PCs infected in the USA alone. Some security experts are advising that businesses continue to offer training to users to teach them to refrain from clicking on hostile or suspicious links in emails or Web sites, and to keep antivirus protection up to date. Since antivirus software generally does not claim to reliably prevent infection, it is important that identity theft information is distributed widely on the internet to ensure that consumers have some knowledge on what to look out for. With statements from the likes of Browser Protection saying it can prevent "some infection attempts," it would make perfect sense to be aware of the fundamental basics of how to prevent identity theft.

Announced by the FBI in October 2010, hackers in Eastern Europe had managed to infect computers around the world using Zeus. Distributed in an email, the virus targeted individuals at businesses and municipalities. When the email was opened the Trojan software installed itself on the victims computer, secretly capturing passwords, account numbers, and other data used to log into online banking accounts. It is no-wonder then that the hackers then used this information to take over the bank accounts of their victims and to make unauthorized transfers amounting to thousands of dollars at a time, often routing the funds to other accounts controlled by a network of money mules who are paid hefty commissions to facilitate these illegal transactions. Recruited from overseas, many of the US-based money mules created bank accounts using fake identifications and once the money was in the accounts, they would either wire it back to their bosses in Eastern Europe, or withdraw it in cash to smuggle out of the United States.

Having stolen seventy million US dollars, more than a hundred people were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering, comprising over 90 individuals in the US, and the others in the UK and Ukraine.

Arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, USA in 2013, Hamza Bendelladj was said to be the mastermind behind Zeus. Charged with several counts of wire fraud and computer fraud and abuse, he was accused of operating SpyEye botnets—a bot functionally similar to ZeuS. He is said to have developed, marketed and sold various versions of the SpyEye virus and component parts on the Internet, and allowed cybercriminals to customize their purchases to include tailor-made methods of obtaining financial information from their victims. It was also alleged that Bendelladj advertised SpyEye on Internet forums devoted to cyber crime and operated Command and Control servers. If you’re the kind of person that sees sense in knowing how to prevent identity theft, then I’m sure you’ll agree that digging up some useful identity theft information will be exactly what you need to do.

There are six types of Identity Theft:

• New Account Fraud
• Account Takeover Fraud
• Criminal Identity Theft
• Medical Identity Theft
• Identity Cloning
• Commercial Identity Theft

Don't wait till it's too late! Find out more Here!


Cornelius Venturo
PrivacyMaxx Representative

A Closer Look at Why Identity Theft Protection is Key to Your Survival Online

If you have never experienced someone stealing your identity, then I’m sure you’ll want to know how messed up your life can be if such a thing were to ever happen to you, and what you can do to prevent it from happening. Identity theft is basically stealing someone's identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity. The most common ways that these criminals gain access to resources or obtain credit and other benefits using YOUR identity is through your personal information such as your name, identification number, or credit card number. The victim of identity theft can suffer adverse consequences if they are held responsible for the perpetrator's actions. The more you consider the implications of a criminal using your name without your permission to commit fraud and other crimes, the more you’ll want to know what identity theft protection options are available to you, to help prevent identity theft from happening to you.

Coined in 1964, the term identity theft, however, alludes that it is not literally possible to steal an identity. There are less ambiguous terms such as identity fraud and impersonation.  Determining the link between data breaches and identity theft is challenging, primarily because identity theft victims are oftentimes clueless as to how their personal details were obtained. Not to mention, it is not always detectable by the victim. That being said, identity fraud is not necessarily the consequence of identity theft.

It is not unheard of for someone to steal or misappropriate personal information without actually committing identity theft using the information obtained, such as when a major data breach occurs. A US Government Accountability Office study determined that "most breaches have not resulted in detected incidents of identity theft.” The report also warned that "the full extent is unknown". A later unpublished study by Carnegie Mellon University noted that "Most often, the causes of identity theft are not known," but reported that someone else concluded that "the probability of becoming a victim to identity theft as a result of a data breach is only around 2%". You’re going to be surprised to hear that in a more recent data breach, accounting for over four million records, resulted in only about 1,800 instances of identity theft, according to the company whose systems were breached.

In an article “Cyber Crime Made Easy" published in October 2010, the level to which hackers are using malicious software is explained. As one security specialist named Gunter Ollmann said, “Interested in credit card theft? There’s an app for that.” Evidently, this statement sums up the ease with which these hackers are accessing all kinds of information online. The article goes on to mention that the new program for infecting users’ computers is called Zeus; and that the program is so hacker friendly even an inexperienced hacker is able to operate it. Although the hacking program is easy to use, that fact does not diminish the devastating effects that Zeus (or other software like Zeus) can do to a computer and the user. The article also states that programs like Zeus can steal credit card information, important documents, and even documents necessary for homeland security. Some internet security experts say that if hackers were to obtain this vital information, it could mean identity theft or even a possible terrorist attack. I wonder if you’ve realized that, much as it is mega convenient to surf the net and to conduct transactions online, the level of vulnerability is quite literally unprecedented. All the more reason why if you’re the kind of person that wants to prevent identity theft from coming your way, then it’s probably about time—that’s if you haven’t already—to consider getting some identity theft protection.  

Did you know: 50% of the U.S. Adult Population have been hacked--and most of them don’t even know it! Don't let it happen to you. Learn more Here!

Cornelius Venturo

PrivacyMaxx Representative

Why You MUST Consider Identity Theft Protection NOW

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States, AND the most feared. Here are some facts you should know: Identity theft affects one in 20 households, costs billions of dollars every year to businesses and, on average, takes hundreds of hours for a victim to regain pre-theft status. 1 in 10 American consumers have already been victims of identity theft.

Over 50% of all identity theft is the result of the taking of a physical document, such as a credit application or account statement, which is often done via the Internet, mailbox, trash, or theft of non-public personal information. Over 20 people become victims of identity theft every minute of every day in the United States. 41% of victims who did not have Identity Theft Protection are still dealing with the issue more than 2 years after discovering it.

Thieves often target the very young or the elderly or the recently deceased. Average fraud amount per victim was $6,400 in 2013. On average, victims incur between $800 - $1,400 in expenses related to restoring their identity. Average victim spends over 330 hours trying to reverse the damage.

There are six types of Identity Theft:
New Account Fraud
Account Takeover Fraud
Criminal Identity Theft
Medical Identity Theft
Identity Cloning
Commercial Identity Theft

Additional adverse effects of ID theft (without protection servies) include: financial problems; high interest rates; denied employment; harassment from collection agencies; unauthorized use of medical benefits; low credit score; denied credit, tuition, or loans; higher insurance premiums; and even arrest.

Those are the hard, cold facts. So what are you going to do about it? Stay informed on this very blog with tons of articles and information, plus the PrivacyMaxx Protection Plan that provides an Internet Monitoring Service in real-time, and a PROACTIVE alerting and monitoring service.and lots more!

Don't fall prey to ID Theft! Sign up for PrivacyMaxx ID Recovery Service today!

* Covers you and your immediate family (spouse or domestic partner, children at the same address up to age 25, IRS dependents sharing the same address regardless of age, or nursing home/hospice, or deceased 12 months or less)

* Fully-managed ID recovery service

* Covers ID theft with no family fraud or other exclusions

* Unlimited restorations

* No deductible

* Work until credit and identity are restored to pre-theft status

* Includes 12 months of post-recovery monitoring

* $25,000 Expense Reimbursement


Cornelius Venturo
PrivacyMaxx Representative