Take action now - your computer has been infected and your identity is at risk from online fraud. Our Security, Trust & Safety Team may have recently contacted you by letter following detection of malware on the broadband line you have with BT.....
Take action now - your computer has been infected and your identity is at risk from online fraud.
Our Security, Trust & Safety team may have recently contacted you by letter following detection of malware on the broadband line you have with BT.
What is malware?
Malware is malicious software that is used to harm computer operation, steal personal information, or gain access to private computer systems. It can include viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware and adware.
There are currently many different types of malware that can affect customers who are running Microsoft Windows:
Ramnit is a computer worm released in 2011. It steals your personal sensitive information such as your banking credentials. It can also give a malicious hacker access and control of your PC, and stops your anti-virus security software from running. Ramnit infections are currently estimated to have affected over 3.2m devices worldwide.
It affects Microsoft Window's operating systems.
Trickbot is a computer worm released in 2018. It’s reported to have a range of malicious capabilities, including the ability to steal online account passwords, cookies and web history sensitive information, including banking login details.
It can gather detailed information and login credentials for infected devices and networks, and connect those devices to malicious, criminally controlled, networks over the Internet. It can also spread by infecting other devices on the victims network and download further malicious files such as remote access tools.
It affects Microsoft Window's operating systems.
Conficker is a computer worm released in October 2008. Once a computer's infected, it can spread across networks and download malicious content to any devices you've got connected to the internet.
It affects Microsoft Window's operating systems.
Shylock seeks to access funds held by business or personal bank accounts, and transfer them to the criminal controllers. It's typically downloaded by clicking on links which downloads the malware.
It affects Microsoft Window's operating systems.
If you have any Windows devices connected to your broadband line, it’s very important that to protect your identity and prevent online fraud, you follow our advice to remove this malware now. It's really simple to do.
If you use Microsoft Windows it won't affect you and you don't need to take any action.
Gozi, also known as Ursniff, was first released in 2007. It seeks to capture your banking user credentials from your browser, but can also capture log in details for webmail and cryptocurrency wallets. It can collect data by logging the user's keystrokes and capturing screenshots and certificates.
Gozi forms the basis of most banking Trojans from around 2010 onwards.
It affects all Windows operating systems.
What can I do about malware?
If you've already got BT Virus Protect, the good news is that malware is unlikely to have infected any devices where this is installed. But for peace of mind you might want to run a full scan. Be aware that this can take a few hours to complete.
If you don't have BT Virus Protect, we recommend you download it now to all devices connected to the internet. This will also help protect you from threats like this in the future. It’s free with all our broadband packages.
Find out more about BT Virus Protect >
There are some other free third-party tools that can help remove the malware. However, we don't endorse them and can't be responsible for their success in dealing with the problem.
These include:
Malware often takes advantage of vulnerabilities in operating systems. Make sure your operating system is up to date. Antivirus software requires regular updates to remain effective. This should happen automatically, not shutting your computer down and leaving it in sleep or hibernation can prevent these updates from being installed.
Install BT Virus Protect antivirus software >
Additional advice and tips on staying safe online can be found at www.getsafeonline.org >
If you’ve been infected with any of the malware we’ve listed, we recommend you now take the following steps. If you need help in doing this, you should seek guidance from a qualified professional.
BT is not responsible for any damage or loss of data caused.
- Turn off your wi-fi and unplug any Ethernet or network carrying cables
- Safely format or replace your disk drives and reinstall the OS
- Connect the device to a clean network in order to download, install and update the OS and all other software
- Install, update, and run antivirus software
- Reconnect to your network
- Monitor network traffic and run antivirus scans to identify if any infection remains
- Immediately disconnect the infected devices from network
You should report it to www.actionfraud.police.uk >