NCA Warning After Hackers Steal £20 Million from UK Bank Accounts

The UKs National Crime Agency have urged the people of Britain to ensure they take adequate measures of online security after a significant strain of malicious software allowed criminal hackers to steal an estimated £20 million from UK bank accounts.

The highly skilled malware developers are thought to be based in Eastern Europe. The details that are collected are then exploited to steal money from individuals and businesses globally. The NSA has reported one significant arrest in relation to the multi-million pound scam. However, only after thousands of computers had already been infected by the Dridex malware known as Bugat and Cridex, with the majority of computers being Windows based machines.

Computers can become infected with the virus when users open documents in emails they believe to be legitimate. I myself have recently received emails proclaiming to be from PayPal stating: “Your PayPal account has been limited! Take a few moments to confirm your information. After you do, you can shop online and send money using your account.” After checking PayPal directly (not through the given link) I establish that there was no such limitation on my account.

To avoid becoming an unwilling victim of the costly Dridex malware the National Crime Agency is encouraging all internet users to ensure they have up to date operating systems and anti-virus software installed on their machines, to protect themselves from further cybercrime attacks. The NSA also urged users to visit the CyberStreetWise and GetSafeOnline websites where they state there is a number of anti-virus tools are available to download to help clean up infected machines; these sites also are a great way to gain further advice on how to protect yourself in the future.

Mike Hulett, Head of Operations at the National Crime Agency’s National Cyber Crime Unit said:  “This is a particularly virulent form of malware and we have been working with our international law enforcement partners, as well as key partners from industry, to mitigate the damage it causes. Our investigation is ongoing and we expect further arrests to be made.”

What measures do you take to ensure your online security? Let us know down in the comments below.

Thank you National Crime Agency for providing us with this information.