A new version of the Zeus Trojan has surfaced called Zeus3, and it's supposedly emptying bank accounts across the UK with the equivalent of over $1 million stolen thus far. According to experts at M86 Security (PDF), the malware first appeared early last month and is said to be the most "sophisticated and dangerous threat" the firm has ever seen.
In addition to simply collecting login credentials and bank details, apparently, the infection can siphon money from an account. It checks to see if an account contains more than £800, and if it does, the cash is silently funneled to mule accounts. Zeus3 then serves up fake bank balance to fool unwary users into thinking everything is fine.
"This is an extremely sophisticated version of the virus and it cannot be detected by traditional security software," said an M86 executive. Zeus3 has drained some 3,000 accounts from an unnamed British bank, and it only affects Windows systems. Since most antivirus applications can't detect the Trojan yet, you should keep a close watch on your funds and use unaffected platforms for online banking – or just hide your money under a mattress until this whole thing blows over.