Unfortunately computers and viruses go hand in hand, it does not seem to matter how much we try to defeat the digital bugs, they always seem to find a way on to our computers. There has been a major breakthrough in the fight against digital terrorism as recently though as the FBI launched a massive campaign to rid the world of the virus known as Coreflood.
What is Coreflood?
Coreflood is a nasty little virus known as a key-logger. Once Coreflood in on a computer, the hacker can dial in to your computer remotely and can track every single key that the user has pressed. What can this be used for? Well lets say the hacker is watching your computer and you browse your to online bank account, the hacker could then log the keys you pressed as you logged into your account, which means he would then have access to your bank account and your funds.
There are thousands of computers that are infected with the Coreflood virus, and all of the infected computers become part of what is known as a Botnet, Botnets are computers that become linked together after they have been infected. How does your computer become infected? The hackers control servers that send out malicious emails. If you open an attachment in an email that has come from one of their servers your computer will become infected.
The F.B.I strikes back
The F.B.I had been working on a plan to deal with cyber criminals for quite some time, and then in an unprecedented move, the F.B.I struck. Years of hard work paid off as they found the location of 5 Servers that the hackers had been using to send out the malicious code to millions of unsuspecting computer users.
The FBI started its investigation back in April of 2009 after a company based in Connecticut realized hundreds of its computers on its private network had been infected. Unfortunately for that company it was too late and the hackers had already made wire transfers from the companies bank accounts. The company lost the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The servers that the FBI found were located throughout the United States. Texas, Ohio, Arizona, Georgia, and California, all had servers located within them. There are many more around the country but the FBI believes that they have got a firm stranglehold on the operation.
How to protect yourself
The bad news is that it is impossible to tell if you have been infected with the Coreflood virus. Coreflood does not alter the way your computer operates, it simply runs in the background. It is also worth noting that only users of Windows based computers can become infected with this virus. Luckily there are measures you can take to make sure you do not become infected in the future. Here is what you should do to protect yourself.
The first thing you should do is download anti-virus software. There are some excellent programs available that are completely free. Avast and AVG are both excellent and they will keep your computer safe. Not only will these programs scan your computer for files, they will also warn you about malicious, and phishing websites.
Once you have downloaded your anti-virus software set it up so that it automatically scans your computer on a daily basis. You can set this up so that the software runs when you are not using it, this that it will not interfere with you while you are using it.
Never open emails that come from unfamiliar senders. The attachments that come with the emails will almost certainly contain viruses.
Lastly keep an eye on your back accounts and see if there is any suspicious activity. If you notice anything that looks suspicious contact your bank or financial service immediately.
Avoid malicious emails, and websites and your computing experience will be much safer.
This guest post is by Brett Day , from Moore, Oklahoma. He is a featured contributor for Associated Content in Technology. He has a huge interest in the world of technology, home theater, and video games. Brett loves writing and sharing his knowledge on all of these subjects